Home Depot Mobilizes Associates for Seasonal Community Repairs and Accessibility Work

Home Depot’s long running fall and early winter volunteer effort brings store associates together with the Home Depot Foundation and local nonprofit partners to tackle home repairs, accessibility modifications and urgent fixes for veterans and at risk homeowners. Known within the company as Operation Surprise and Celebration of Service, the seasonal program channels company resources and associate time into projects ranging from new appliances and roof repairs to ramps and other accessibility work.

The program is organized through Team Depot, the company’s associate volunteer force, and the Foundation supplies grants, materials and logistical support while local stores supply volunteers and on site coordination. Thousands of associates take part across the country each season, making the campaign one of the more visible and consistent community engagement efforts the company runs. Local store leaders arrange schedules so associates can donate time while the company covers some volunteer hours through paid volunteer time.

For workers the campaign provides several tangible workplace effects. Participating associates gain hands on community experience and an opportunity to work outside normal store roles, which can boost morale and strengthen ties between stores and their neighborhoods. Store leadership uses the events as a vehicle for team building and for demonstrating operational leadership, as managers must balance store coverage with volunteer commitments and coordinate tools, materials and transportation for crews working in the field.

The initiative also affects operations on busy retail days, requiring advance planning to ensure customer service is not interrupted. Stores commonly stagger volunteer shifts and use temporary staffing adjustments to maintain sales floor coverage. For many associates the work doubles as skills development, exposing them to carpentry, accessibility design considerations and project coordination that may translate to in store roles.

Because the effort is seasonal and widely replicated, it has become an established part of Home Depot’s workplace culture and community identity. For employees it offers paid time to serve, visible recognition of company supported volunteering, and regular opportunities to build skills while contributing to high impact projects for vulnerable homeowners and veterans.