LOWE S INDIA CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT Making a difference to our communities, one home, one school, one child at a time
01 The Lowe s Purpose To help people love where they live Our purpose defines us. It tells our customers who we are, and what our guiding principle is. It shapes our culture and unifies more than a quarter of a million people who live by it. Knowing that our purpose is foundational to who we are and what we do, we are looking for people who live by values and could continue to make Lowe s an inspiring place to work. At Lowe s India, we help people love where they live by defining and delivering innovative business solutions that drive enterprise productivity and growth. We are a purpose-driven family of employees who are passionate about learning and committed to delighting our customers.
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03 Message from James Brandt Managing Director Lowe s India Lowe s in the U.S. is synonymous to a neighborhood store, where families bring their dreams of a home, to life. As a purpose-driven company, we know how important it is to recognize, honor, and celebrate the commitment each one of our employees have made to make our vision. Our corporate social responsibility initiatives are in a way a celebration of the kind of people who work for Lowe s, the kind of people who have dedicated their lives to being part of something bigger. Our purpose as a company is to help people love where they live, and it s a purpose that is brought to life each day by 3,10,000 associates around the world, including the 1700+ associates in Bengaluru. Through our CSR programs, we are committed to making the communities we serve better places to live and work. It s a commitment we take seriously. It s a commitment we take immense pride in pursuing. And it s a commitment we make to ourselves, each day. I thank all our associates - our Lowe s Heroes, who actively volunteered for all the volunteering events, our partners who have made us a part of their journey, and various teams within Lowe s who have come together to build a strong foundation to our efforts here. As we continue our growth story in India, we commit to continue this journey of transforming lives, in our own way. We promise together to make a difference to someone s life and to continue to be a part of something bigger. Thank you.
04 Corporate Social Responsibility at Lowe s India In India, our corporate social responsibility journey started in 2015. Every year, Lowe s makes a promise to our customers and to the communities around us. We fulfill this promise through the work we do, through our corporate social responsibility programs, and through our employees who we proudly call, Lowe s Heroes, who volunteer to make a difference. We have aligned our community giving and volunteer efforts with programs and partnerships that complement our core business. Every time, we have walked down narrow roads, proudly wearing our red vests, we have noticed people, their eyes filled with hope, smiling back at us. We focus on helping build communities, helping in education of children from underprivileged backgrounds, and work towards protecting our environment. CSR Vision We design sustainable programs to make a difference in our communities by building relationships to fulfill our commitment to housing, education, and environment. Together, we are hands on and have our hearts in.
Lowe s Heroes Every employee at Lowe s who makes a difference to the communities around us, is called a Lowe s Hero. The Heroes project is our way to engage our employees in going beyond their work and dedicate a few hours from their time to give back. This is what makes life at Lowe s, more than just a job, and makes us a truly inspiring place to work. I had visited Samarthanam as a part of voluntary group to read science books to them. It was disheartening to see that many kids couldn t read a sentence in English but I could nevertheless connect with them well as we shared similar background. The kids were not just listening to the concepts that we were trying to explain but also actively put across their point of view thereby giving us a peek into their life. This program made us live the purpose that we talk about. What I realized was it is not just about making other love where they live but it is also about making employees feel fulfilled about the place they live and work in. We might think that it s a service we are doing to the children but I think it is the kids who do service to us by letting us interact with them and giving us different point of view to living. Nithin A Parmar Lowe s Hero & Senior Analyst Volunteered to read scientific book for students activity during Aashiyana 2018
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Our Key Programs AASHIYANA Aashiyana is Lowe s Heroes volunteering flagship program which is conducted every year. In 2018 Aashiyana was spread over a month, saw around 400 Heroes from Lowe s India giving back to communities. Lowe s Heroes built and painted homes, taught children with disability, cooked and distributed midday meals, helped translate audio books for youth who are visually impaired, cleaned and refurbished a park and much more. AGRATA The women s-only Lowe s Heroes flagship program is conducted as part of the International Women s Day on 8th March. This year, we saw around 70 women Heroes participate in a build activity. Our women associates cleaned and painted homes in Mitiganahali village in Bangalore. JOY OF GIVING Joy of Giving is a donation drive which provides a platform to employees to make a difference in someone s life. In December, our Heroes contributed clothes and blankets to Goonj and bought gifts and groceries for the children at Shine Orphanage. The gifts were as per the request of each child, and it was a moment of happiness and fulfilment for us to see the happy faces of the children as they opened the giftwrapped presents with their names on it. BACK TO SCHOOL Back to School is an initiative to promote education for underprivileged students with necessary supplies. This year Lowe s Heroes ensured successful start of school year of 130 children in Shine orphanage and SOS Children s Village in Bangalore, by providing school supplies such as bags, books, and other stationery. The entire activity was such a unique experience, which reminded me of my school days when we used to have lunch with our classmates and especially the school bell! I believe that every human being finds pleasure in doing good for others and realize that the simplest things can bring the utmost happiness. Thank you for arranging such a fantastic activity! I look forward to more such experiences! Sukanthalakshmi Ramkumar Lowe s Hero & Senior Software Engineer Volunteered for food serving activity during Aashiyana 2018
08 Our Partnerships We didn t do this alone AKSHAYA PATRA The Akshaya Patra foundation is a notfor profit organization headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The foundation strives to fight issues like hunger and malnutrition in India, by implementing the mid-day meal scheme in government and governmentaided schools. Lowe s India partnered with Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide a grant of INR 9.9 lakhs for the mid-day meals to 1052 children across Bangalore and provided a grant of INR 31.2 lakhs to help with the operations of the large-scale kitchen facilities. SAMARTHANAM TRUST Samarthanam believes in an inclusive society free from discrimination, where people with disabilities become contributing members living with dignity and respect. Lowe s India partnered with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled to enable skill development in youth with disability. To this end, Lowe s provided a grant of INR 6 lakhs to procure 60 tablets for 100 youth across three centres of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled.
09 Our Partnerships We didn t do this alone HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Habitat for Humanity, India is a non-profit organization working for and with the people in improving their quality of living through safe and decent shelter since 1983. Lowe s India partnered with Habitat for Humanity in 2015 to provide affordable housing and sanitation units to low-income families and government schools. With a grant of over INR 30 Lakh, Lowe s has provided homes to four families and sanitation units for two government schools. SOS CHILDREN S VILLAGES OF INDIA SOS Children s Villages of India is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organisation working for the holistic development of parentless children, women and children belonging to vulnerable families. Lowe s India partnered with SOS Children s Villages and granted INR 7.5 Lakh to build a basketball court to enable children of SOS Children s Villages in Bengaluru to enhance their extra-curricular activities. Apart from this, Lowe s has also made a contribution of INR 4.75 Lakh to help with the infrastructural development of SOS Children s Villages, Bengaluru.
10 Meet the Team Executive Sponsor Laila Khalil Director Housing Team Captains Seethalakshmi. T. G, Senior Manager Prabhu Kalashayana, Senior Manager CSR Lead Sreedhanya Shanmughan Senior Manager Education Team Captains Monica Pirgal, Associate Director Ryan Pinto, Senior Manager CSR Executive Dr. Deepashree M.R. Environment Team Captains Mahendra Patnaik, Senior Manager Nirjhar Ganapathy, Lead Analyst
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A Pat on Our Back: Recognition The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in India and the U.S. Embassy India recognized our commitment to work with and improve the communities around us. A picture from one of our CSR activities, featuring our Lowe s Hero making a difference, was showcased at a CSR photo exhibition: U.S. Companies Partnering in India s Inclusive Growth at Delhi. Ambassador Kenneth I. Juster was the guest of honor and James Brandt, Managing Director Lowe s India represented us at the event.
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