The Home Depot Foundation partners with local nonprofit to build furniture for African American cemeteries

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Home Depot Foundation teamed up with nonprofit Richmond Community Toolbank on Friday to build new outdoor furniture for African American Cemeteries throughout the Richmond area. According to organizers, the project is part of a nationwide week of service from Jan. 13 through Jan. 17 to honor and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. (Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation)(Photo: The Home Depot Foundation) Throughout the morning on Friday, Jan. 17, participants built tables and benches to be donated to three local cemeteries -- the East End, Evergreen and Woodland cemeteries -- that were recently reclaimed by the City of Richmond. In February of 2024, the Richmond City Council approved an ordinance that made the historic East End, Evergreen and Forest View cemeteries property of the city. The cemeteries are historic African American cemeteries that were previously the property of local nonprofit Enrichmond Foundation and its affiliate Parity LLC, which dissolved in June of 2022. This acquisition comes after controversy arose when about $200,000 seemingly vanished during the nonprofit’s dissolution, which impacted volunteers and left more than 80 partner organizations searching for answers and funding.