Members of Team Home Depot spent a sweltering Saturday morning cleaning graves and installing new benches at Hackney Cemetery in Riverview.
Kevin Brady Photo
There’s a quiet satisfaction in Bob Sneed’s voice as he brushes the mildew from the headstone of a long-forgotten grave of a child who died at birth in 1955.
“This grave has been here almost 60 years, and maybe the family doesn’t live around here anymore or is not physically able to look after it, so it’s nice to be able to do this,” Sneed said.
Sneed was one of 20 volunteers from Team Home Depot who went to Riverview’s Hackney Cemetery last Saturday, June 28, to clean up the graveyard, install new benches and plant flags for July 4. Team Home Depot has been helping community groups with civic projects for more than 20 years.
“People ask us to come out and help, and we try to get a grant — we got a $1,000 grant for the cemetery cleanup — to help in any way we can,” said Debi Dolonbach, a team member from Riverview and a 20-year Home Depot employee. “We’ve done parks and recreation projects as well as school projects.”
She said, “We want to show our presence not just because we want people’s business but because we want to show we care about our surroundings and let the community know we are here for them as much as they are here for us.”
“People are very appreciative when they see us,” said Robbie Kleinotas. who has been working with Team Home Depot for more than 20 years.
For information on Team Home Depot or to seek help with a community project, call 813-664-0042 or 813-246-5714.
For more information about Hackney Cemetery and future clean ups, visit www.HackneyCemetery.com or call Florence Sikes at 813-677-7606.
Bob Sneed paid special attention to a grave for a child who died at birth in 1955. Kevin Brady Photo