Recovery Warehouse has received a $10,000 donation from Walmart to buy building supplies for reconstructing flooded homes in Minot.
The release of the information Friday came as Recovery Warehouse was collecting donated building materials on a flatbed in the Kmart parking lot. The flatbed will be in the parking lot again today from noon to 4 p.m. to accept new building materials.
The Walmart Foundation will award $1.5 million to 145 organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over 12 days through Dec. 23. Recovery Warehouse was among 13 organizations receiving awards on the fifth day of the 12 Days of Giving program. Each of the organizations is helping restore communities after natural disasters.
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Jill Schramm/MDN
Mary Barker, Recovery Warehouse coordinator, stands by a truck flatbed with donations of building materials Friday. A collection drive in the Kmart parking lot continues today from noon to 4 p.m.
Nel Summers, one of Minot's Oakaholics, landed the grant for Minot with an essay about the warehouse on Walmart's Facebook page.
"It's just wonderful," said warehouse coordinator Mary Barker. "One hundred percent of that grant will be used for building materials."
Volunteer work teams will begin using the materials next spring to give residents in need the gift of a rebuilt home, Barker said. The assistance will go to homeowners identified by the local Unmet Needs Committee.
During Friday's collection drive, the warehouse received donations of paint, flooring, countertops, sinks and other items. The warehouse also has a website at (www.recoverywarehouse.org) where contractors and others can find out what is needed and how to donate.
The Walmart grant is one more success for the Oakaholics, the local group that spearheaded an online voting campaign that obtained a $100,000 grant from Coca-Cola for Oak Park. The group's latest effort is promoting online votes for Minot in Readers Digest's "We Hear You America" sweepstakes. Minot is in seventh place. The top 18 cities will receive prizes ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.