Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity receives $12,000 grant from Lowe’s to improve home safety and health outcomes in Rutherford County

Murfreesboro, TN — Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity (RCHFH) has received a $12,000 grant from Lowe’s to help complete two Housing Plus Aging In Place projects in Rutherford County TN. The funding is part of Lowe’s partnership renewal with Habitat for Humanity that includes a donation of $2.5 million to support 100 local Habitat organizations undertaking home repair and rehab projects across the U.S. “This wonderful grant allows our Habitat affiliate to serve low to moderate income seniors in Rutherford County with critical repairs, so their homes are safe and accessible,” states Terri Shultz, RCHFH Executive Director. “Studies show that seniors who can stay in their homes stay connected to their community and friends and have a better quality of life.”

The two projects that RCHFH will complete in 2022 are:

Newman Family Critical Repairs, Christiana, TN. Lolies Newman is age 93 are still active but cannot live in her home in its present condition of rotting exterior siding and windows, as well as extreme clutter inside. Water and animals are also getting into the home through the rotted exterior.

The project will include volunteers from Lowe’s helping the RCHFH construction team clear the house of clutter, install grab bars where needed and make repairs to the exterior areas. The first phase of the project will happen on Oct. 26 and 27 with de-cluttering and removal of rotted exterior areas. The repairs will be completed the following weeks. The goal is for Lolies and her elderly daughter and son-in-law to be able to move back into the house and move freely in the decluttered and safe home. We expect the project will include over 300 hours of volunteer help from the Lowe’s team.

Sandifer Family Critical Repairs, Smyrna, TN. Samuel Sandifer uses a walker and is sometimes very weak from three days of dialysis every week. He accesses the home from the driveway and porch at the back door. The porch and ramp are rotting and need to be torn down and rebuilt, including a small set of stairs that he sometimes uses.

The project will include volunteers from Lowe’s helping the RCHFH construction team tear down the existing deck and ramp and rebuilding it so the entry is safe for the Sandifers to access their home. It will probably include installing a concrete pad at the end of the ramp for access from the driveway parking. The estimated volunteer hours include two initial days of 10 volunteers plus two additional days to finish the porch, for a total of 150 volunteer hours. The repairs will start in early November or December.

Lowe’s volunteers will be from the Murfreesboro Lowe’s store, led by Store Manager Jason McCormick. These aging in place projects were assessed by Anika Taylor, Health and Human Services Professional (BA Social Work), and Roy Saylor, RCHFH Community Repairs Manager.

Access to quality, affordable home repair and modification services continues to be out of reach for low to moderate income households across the nation. With the support of this funding, Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity will be able to further its efforts of helping families in Rutherford County TN address critical health and safety issues in their homes

“Lowes employees are proud to be a part of this wonderful critical repair program for seniors so they can stay safely in their homes and continue to lead active lives,” states Aelisha Eichman, Region 6 Human Resource Director- Nashville, TN.

Lowe’s and Habitat began their partnership in 2003. Since then, Lowe’s has supported many of the global housing nonprofit’s efforts, including the Women Build Program and Habitat’s Neighborhood Revitalization program. Lowe’s has also supported Habitat’s Cost of Home national advocacy campaign and sponsored local Habitat builds and employee volunteer days, in addition to providing affiliate grants and donated products. Lowe’s commitment through 2022 will bring the company’s total contributions to Habitat to more than $84 million.

About Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity

Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit, non-denominational Christian housing ministry, seeks to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope. This is done through building quality, energy-efficient, affordable houses while partnering alongside working families. Homes are built by RCHFH construction staff, Future Homeowners, and community volunteers. After a home is completed, it is sold to the family at no profit with an affordable monthly mortgage. More information about the homeownership program is on the website: http://www.rchfh.org/.

About Lowe’s

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE 50 home improvement company serving approximately 19 million customer transactions a week in the United States and Canada. With fiscal year 2021 sales of over $96 billion, Lowe’s and its related businesses operate or service nearly 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing and helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

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