JEFF KIESSEL | DAILY NEWS
Home Depot employee Tami Viers puts in a new pantry door at the Communities Overcoming Violent Encounters women's shelter and volunteer James Wallace caulks the outside of a new window Thursday as part of a grant program from The Home Depot.
Team Depot helps shelter
COVE grateful for Home Depot grant, employees
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The Communities Overcoming Violent Encounters women's shelter is getting an $8,000 facelift thanks to a grant and installation from The Home Depot. Elke Wallace, a Home Depot manager, thought the women's shelter should receive the money. Nine Home Depot employees, specializing in different areas, were at the home Thursday to make installations and do some renovations. The home, which is an older home, received new windows in the kitchen, new doors around the entire house (installed because of the sensitive alarm system), new flooring in the kitchen, painting of the drywall in the kitchen, and blinds will be installed on some of the windows.
" I picked them because I have a soft spot in my heart for them," said Wallace "I wish women and children didn't have to need places like this."
The Home Depot did work on the fence at the home about two years ago and wanted to do more. Wallace organized the paperwork, representatives from COVE filled it out and then Wallace got them turned in. The Home Depot has a program for community involvement and helped with the petunia planting last spring.
"If you think about it, a lot of companies are cutting back and for Home Depot to be able to give back this much, it's great," said Wallace. COVE Executive Director Marie Waite said the project is much-needed. "This is a lifesaver," Waite told the Daily News Thursday. "As you can see, this is an old house and is expensive to maintain. Our donors don't give money for that, we have to depend on the community."
Waite said COVE was working on a capital campaign to be able to fi x the home up in the future, but the project "would not have been possible for a while." She also said the more energy efficient doors and windows that were installed will help with utilities. "Not only did they give us $8,000, but they provided the volunteers to do the work," Waite said.
JEFF KIESSEL | DAILY NEWS
Home Depot employee Wayne Goerbig works to remove a kitchen window at COVE in Ludington Thursday. The women's shelter received a grant from Home Depot to help fix up a few areas of the shelter.
SHELTER: Improvements make it more friendly, inviting
The items replaced and fixed up were all things that had been on a list to get done. Kerry Schafer of COVE coordinated the event with The Home Depot and picked out most of the items purchased for the home. "It's hard enough to leave home and come to a shelter, but something that doesn't look nice is harder to move into," said Waite. "Now it will look more friendly and inviting."
Two recent fundraisers brought in about $2,800 for COVE, and the number of clients using the actual Ludington shelter has dropped. " We have been able to give housing vouchers to help people afford a place to live," Waite said. Waite said the next project that needs to be done at the home is a new fence around the yard because the bottom of the current fence is rotting.
mmcguire@ludingtondailynews.com
Dan Russell of Dan Russell Construction, a Home Depot contracted
installer, works to replace a door at the Women's Shelter.
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