Donation drive for Maple Valley Food Bank kicks off Home Depot Contractor Appreciation event in Covington

Bigger and better is the mantra for this year's Home Depot Contractor Appreciation event set to start at 10 a.m. on June 18. More importantly, though, the four-hour long event will be an opportunity to serve the community, explained Ira Dunlap, pro sales supervisor and the person in charge of coordinating it.

By Kris Hill • June 8, 2010 8:36 pm

Bigger and better is the mantra for this year’s Home Depot Contractor Appreciation event set to start at 10 a.m. on June 18.

More importantly, though, the four-hour long event will be an opportunity to serve the community, explained Ira Dunlap, pro sales supervisor and the person in charge of coordinating it.

The event started last year and Dunlap said he hopes it will become an annual tradition. Like the inaugural event, this year in the weeks leading up to it, patrons of the do-it-yourself store in Covington have been encouraged to bring donations for the community service portion by bringing food for people and pets that will be given to the Maple Valley Food Bank.

“It’s important for Home Depot to keep that tradition of supporting the community,” Dunlap said. “It’s good to get us out there.”

But anyone who swings by will not only be able to drop off donations for the food bank, they can also chat with contractors about any upcoming projects they have planned for around the house and get a free lunch, Dunlap said.

“There will be more vendors, more prizes,” Dunlap said. “We’re getting a lot more support from the company as well as the vendors. Once I e-mailed one (vendor) he e-mailed the rest. The vendors are more prepared this year.”

And Dunlap said it has been easier to organize for the event with the work beginning in late February when he began contacting vendors and talking up the event.

In 2009 employees who ran the event collected about 3,000 pounds of food and $300 in cash donations and Dunlap said he hopes they can at least match that and they’d really like to exceed those totals this year.

Anyone is welcome to come by and “like last year, if you bring in food, you can win prizes, gift cards for the store.”

“If they swing by they can expect smiles, good food, lots of smiles, music,” Dunlap said. “Expect to talk to a lot of vendors. And expect a really good free lunch.”

Dunlap said he wanted to emphasize the fact the lunch is free.

He has about a dozen employees who have volunteered to help him with the event and he “got to select my dream team.”

“I had a really good team last year, so, I got to pick a lot of the same people,” Dunlap said. “Plus, we have a lot of fun doing it.”

It’s that spirit of service, though, that really makes the event special for him.

“It’s good for the vendors to talk to the community and get feedback,” he said. “Most important is to help the community, especially these days … in the current economy. I don’t think we do enough to help others. That needs to come back.”

Donations will be accepted through the day of the event. A donation box is located near the Pro Services Desk at the Covington Home Depot. Top items request by the food bank include:

• peanut butter and jelly;

• tomato products – whole, stewed, diced or sauce;

• hygiene products – toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, or soap;

• soup

• pancake mix

• cereal and oatmeal

• meal in a can – chili, stew, ravioli;

• baby food, formula, diapers;

• meal in a box – hamburger, tuna helper, mac and cheese;

• beans;

• rice;

• pasta;