Home Depot offering home repair help
Published 3:06 pm Monday, November 16, 2009
By Daniel Nash
The Courier-Herald
You’re never too old to learn a thing or two about home repair.
The Home Depot’s Bonney Lake location will open its doors early to senior citizens, hosting how-to workshops for seniors 55 and older. The workshop will be from 6 to 8 a.m., the two hours before the store opens Nov. 29.
In addition to the workshop, the home improvement store will commit volunteers to the Household Help program run by the local chapter of the Kiwanis Club and Phil DeLeo, a senior aide for the Bonney Lake Senior Center.
Home Depot already runs monthly workshops focused on some segment of the population, but the focus is usually on children. Laura Miller, an assistant store manager and the organizer of the workshops, thought that it was important to focus on seniors for a change, she said.
“Seniors are usually on a tight budget, and making home repairs can, of course, get harder as you get older,” Miller said. “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful to personally give them one-on-one guidance to get them through the winter?’”
Workshops will cover routine maintenance such as replacing furnace filters and repairing faucets, as well as seasonal jobs like weather-proofing. Safety will be addressed as well, with instructions for testing radon, carbon monoxide, water and maintaining smoke detectors.
Employees will also offer personal shopping services to seniors interested in making purchases. Seniors will receive a 10 percent discount, up to $200 off a $2,000 purchase.
A free continental breakfast will be available and seniors can take their photo with an in-store Santa.
“More than the workshops and shopping, I think this will offer a great time for seniors to socialize and meet other seniors in the area,” Miller said.
Two employees from the store will also volunteer to the Household Help program. The program is run by DeLeo through the Kiwanis Club
The program began three years ago when DeLeo’s predecessor at the senior center suggested a program where volunteers would do favors for seniors, such as gathering firewood or repairing a front porch. Favors were originally confined to the holiday season, but has since become year-round, he said.
The Home Depot called DeLeo and let him know of their desire to become involved.
The Home Depot is at 9602 214th Ave East. For more information, call the store at 253-862-3803.
