As the world's largest home improvement retailer, The Home Depot embraces its role as a leader in social responsibility and celebrates its long-standing commitment to giving back to the communities where its associates live and work.

During September 2006, Hands On Network will mobilize thousands of corporate volunteers to lead and participate in service projects across the country to address communities' most critical needs - from hurricane devastation to playground builds to school transformations - as part of the second annual national Corporate Month of Service.

Together, Hands on Network, The Home Depot and KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America, will collectively engage more than 40,000 volunteers and more than 1,000 community partners in service projects to impact more than 1,000 communities across North America. The Home Depot wants to connect with communities in a meaningful way and build on what is already a fundamental part of its culture - giving back to the communities where we work and work.

Corporate Month of Service is guided by the goals of the Hands On Campaign to increase volunteerism by 10 percent, engage and train 100,000 Volunteer Leaders, and create immediate, tangible impact. The Hands On Campaign was launched in 2005 in partnership with the Hands On Network Corporate Service Council, a national alliance of more than 50 corporate CEOs and civic leaders focused on mobilizing the corporate workforce across a range of community projects throughout North America. The Corporate Service Council is co-chaired by Michelle Nunn, Co-Founder & CEO of Hands On Network, and Bob Nardelli, Chairman, President & CEO of The Home Depot.