The Home Depot(R) has donated $25,000 to help Hands On San Francisco (Hands On) support activities for Hands On San Francisco Day on May 4, 2002, one of San Francisco's largest annual citywide volunteer days. Held each spring, Hands On San Francisco Day is a single day of community service that brings together more than 1,500 people, including San Francisco corporations, community leaders and individual teams of volunteers. This is the third consecutive year that Home Depot has sponsored Hands On San Francisco Day. Last year, Home Depot provided the largest volunteer group with more than 75 associates from local stores--with plans for a similar turnout this year.

"Home Depot is committed to working with organizations like Hands On San Francisco that give back to the community by encouraging volunteerism," said Bruce Merino, West Coast Divisional President of Home Depot. "We are excited to participate in this day-long celebration of volunteerism by providing volunteer associates from our stores and a donation that helps equip Hands On volunteers with tools and resources to complete community projects. Community involvement and support of local nonprofit organizations are key parts of Home Depot's corporate culture."

Volunteers will paint houses for low-income residents, refurbish parks and playgrounds, tutor at-risk and homeless children, renovate domestic violence shelters, plant trees, box groceries and prepare meals for the needy. Volunteer projects will take place throughout all 11 districts in San Francisco. This single day of service is also Hands On's largest fundraiser, providing resources to help the organization engage 4,500 volunteers throughout the year in completing over 50 community projects each month.

As part of a national trend toward increasing interest in volunteerism, a growing number of corporations and volunteers are engaged in this year's event. More than 1,500 volunteers are expected to contribute 6,000 hours of community service on May 4, 2002. At last year's event, more than 1,000 volunteers completed 39 community service projects throughout San Francisco.

"Hands On San Francisco Day reflects the growing number of San Franciscans giving back to the community," said Jung Yun, Chairperson of Hands On San Francisco Day. "Hundreds of volunteers will work throughout the community to finish critical community projects. And, with Home Depot's donation, our volunteers will have additional resources to help them complete the important tasks at hand that benefit the Bay Area community."

Home Depot will be the honorary chair of the event along with San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown. Other corporate sponsors of the event include CT Corporation, Bank of America, Digitas, Wells Fargo and Starbucks.

Hands On San Francisco Day is one example of how Hands On creates, manages and leads volunteer projects that benefit hundreds of non-profit agencies in San Francisco by mobilizing human resources to address unmet community needs. Hands On San Francisco Day promotes a volunteer ethic and provides an opportunity for busy individuals, corporations and nonprofits to join together for one day of service and complete much-needed projects.

For more information on Hands On San Francisco Day 2002, including sponsorship details and how to register as an individual volunteer for the event, go to www.hosf.org, email hosfday@hosf.org or call 415/541-9616.

About Hands on San Francisco

Founded in 1994, Hands On San Francisco (Hands On) is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to helping busy individuals make a positive impact on their community. Hands On creates, manages and leads volunteer projects that benefit hundreds of San Francisco agencies, including: San Francisco Food Bank, Glide Memorial Church, Hamilton Family Center, Ronald McDonald House, SF AIDS Foundation and Surfrider Beach Cleanup. Participants choose a single project from a monthly listing of more than sixty. All projects are coordinated by a volunteer project coordinator and require no more than a few hours commitment. Held each spring, Hands On San Francisco Day is a single day of service to the city. In 2001, more than 1,000 volunteers completed 39 community service projects in the 11 districts of San Francisco all in one day. Hands On also organizes and manages projects for corporations that want to inspire their employees to public service, such as Deutsche Bank, Gap, Inc., Macy's, Starbucks and Digitas. Hands On San Francisco is part of CityCares -- an international alliance of over 30 volunteer organizations working to build community through service and civic engagement. For more information about Hands On San Francisco, contact Jessica Russell, Executive Director, at 415/541-9616 or access the Website at www.hosf.org.

The Home Depot

The Home Depot

About The Home Depot

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