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5 Minutes With ...: Helping Others Build Neighborhoods
The Home Depot Foundation and Community Affairs have been combined. The new president tells us what to expect from one of the country's largest – and most active – foundations.
by Kelly Caffarelli
October 23, 2007
Kelly Caffarelli
President
The Home Depot Foundation
Atlanta Woman: What is the focus of The Home Depot Foundation?
The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the health of local communities by supporting the
development of affordable, healthy homes for working families and by the planting and preservation
of trees in parks, in schoolyards and along city streets.
We believe that it's important not just to help people move into a home, but to ensure that
it is a healthy, safe place for them to live. This means that we give a lot of thought to issues
like energy efficiency and water conservation. We want to make sure that monthly utility bills are
low and indoor air quality is good; there should be fewer trips to the doctor and missed days from
school and work; and everyone should have access to green spaces to learn and play.
Our idea of a home goes beyond the building's four walls or the lot line to include the
surrounding areas as well. Because of this, we talk to community developers about building near
transportation, schools and jobs, and about how they can work to create a healthier, more
sustainable environment.
AW: Has the focus changed over the years?
Caffarelli: The Home Depot has always had a very strong commitment to working in
our communities and preserving the environment, and the foundation grew out of that history. Since
the foundation's inception in 2002, we've focused our grant-making specifi cally on creating
healthy communities through the development of homes that provide a safe, healthy place for
families to live over the long term.
AW: The HDF's board is unusual. Tell us about it.
Caffarelli: We have a board of 10 associates, each of whom works in a different
area of The Home Depot and in a range of positions, including a store manager and an executive vice
president. They are a diverse group, both geographically and culturally, so they bring a breadth
and depth of thought, experience and expertise to the foundation. Because of this, when we make
decisions regarding our grants and programs we are truly supporting the communities where our
associates and customers live and work.
