Home Depot

So let me tell you all about Home Depot. Yes, I will frequent them more because of this. Tom & I have been putting some of our own money into the Mobile Home Park because, well, the owners have invested in us and their park really needs us. So we have a list of things we want to pay for. One was landscaping in both huge areas of the park. But costs might be prohibitive. So a resident and master gardener gave us an idea to ask for donations.

I called Warner's but no one has called back. It has been about a week. But I called Home Depot and James said, bring us a letter on letterhead and we may donate not only our resources, but our manpower. They put up a list of volunteers to see who wants to help after they approve the donation.

So, I wrote a letter explaining that Tom & I wanted to build five 5 ft tables and put some chairs in the mailroom for the residents and the landscaping idea. We took the letter to them the same day and they donated the $200 dollars worth of wood for us to make the tables!!!! This is not a scam, it isn't he said she said, it is ME telling you they did it for the park!

We still haven't heard about the landscaping, as they need volunteers and all the plants aren't in. They did say, up front, that they prefer working in veterans and elderly parks, but we shall see. When you show selflessness, God opens others hearts as well. It is contagious.

The Letter:
May 8, 2013
Dear Home Depot management and staff,
My husband and I just moved here on April 1, 2013, to take on management/maintenance positions at ****** Mobile Home Park. I don’t even know how to begin, but I will give you some of my insight into our community.
The owner’s brought us up here from Phoenix. Kathy and Mark have taken over the park since their mother passed away. They have entrusted us with this responsibility, without truly seeing how dedicated we are and how perfect we would fit. They have bent over backwards to take care of our needs. Knowing that my husband had to renovate the house before we could move into it, they are sacrificing the rent on a trailer for us to live in until the house can be remodeled. The house remodeling is going to cost them tens of thousands to make it livable and about two months of labor for my husband.
At the same time, they want to restore a sense of community pride, trust, morale and cohesiveness that has been sorely lacking. Each time a unit becomes available, Tom and I repair, update and beautify it to make it a safe, clean and healthy home for the next residents. If residents have repair issues, they are learning to trust us to respond immediately with a work order and follow through. In fact, we started coming to you immediately for our flooring and other needs because you are competitive and have pretty much everything under the sun. This type of thorough repair and care of the 60+ units also costs the owners dearly, and yet, they care enough to invest in making their trailers a ‘home’ for the residents.
Because we know it is hitting them hard financially, we decided to do a few things around here and pay for it ourselves, as it is something the owners dearly desire but can’t afford to put ahead of the house remodel. I asked the owners if we could contribute in the following ways and they agreed:
• I tried to get the sign out front repainted but it was more than $500 to do that. So I can’t.
• We wanted to create a community area for our residents to hang out in. Right now we just call it the ‘mailroom.’ Tom acquired the hardware for five tables and he found 15 chairs, but we need the wood and stain to build the tables. That will be about $300.
• But the most time sensitive issue is the landscape. Since I thought the weather was getting better, I sent out the yearly notice to the residents to do their spring clean up and yard work. But I felt we couldn’t tell them to do it if we didn’t, so Tom & I decided to invest in bushes, flowering plants and ground cover in front of the office and under our sign to show them we are a part of the community and we care. We want them to see that we aren’t just ‘managers’ but we live here too.
Brooke *****, a master gardener and tenant, volunteered her time and expertise, but Tom and I are not rich. Brooke created a list of year round blooming plants and will help us figure out how to arrange them. The list, along with some pictures and a drawing are enclosed. It doesn’t mean we are getting them all, it is just an idea of various plants and when they bloom so we can find ones that will be in bloom at different times of the year so it never looks dead.

Brooke suggested that we ask for donations and so here I am. We could very much use a donation of bushes and plants as well as some extra hands … and maybe equipment to do it, if that is a possibility. I would gladly post a sign on my bulletin board, on my door, in the newsletter I create every month, to tell everyone how incredible Home Depot is for their donations of time and resources. I would even ensure word of mouth advertising, which is the best form of advertising. We deeply appreciate all that you can do for us.
Sincerely,

Lynn