NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Feb. 7, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- HomeAid, a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless, and Georgia-Pacific LLC, one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of tissue, packaging, paper, pulp, building products and related chemicals, today announced an expansion of their current partnership. A portion of the $250,000 Georgia-Pacific donation will help develop a sustainable "green" building model to construct housing facilities for temporarily homeless individuals and families across the U.S. In part, the donation will fund HomeAid's ongoing efforts to create a strong set of standards for sustainable building among the organization's nationwide chapters.
"We are extremely grateful for Georgia-Pacific's ongoing support of HomeAid and are fully aligned with its corporate emphasis on promoting sustainable building," said Genette Eaton, chief executive officer of HomeAid. "Through its donations of funds and sustainable materials, Georgia-Pacific truly reinforces its drive for 'environmental excellence' and is an incredible asset in the creation of best practices for green builds across our organization."
With an eye toward fostering the growth of HomeAid's sustainable initiatives, David (Dave) Fleiner, president of Georgia-Pacific's gypsum and chemical businesses, will join the organization's national board of directors. Also, at a chapter level, Mark Atkins, Georgia-Pacific's vice president of wood products sales and marketing will join the board of HomeAid Atlanta.
"Georgia-Pacific is committed to being an environmentally responsible company and practicing sustainable growth," said Fleiner. "We are so pleased to help HomeAid in its efforts to end homelessness across the U.S. and to do it through building sustainable housing facilities. HomeAid's impact with service providers and the various communities where the organization builds can be even greater through the savings that can be gained by practicing conservation, recovering resources for re-use and recycling."
Already, Georgia-Pacific has been instrumental in evolving HomeAid's green-building standards through the donation of its DensArmor Plus(r) paperless interior drywall for the organization's Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts, which are funded through a $3 million donation by Ameriquest Mortgage Company and its affiliates Argent Mortgage Company and AMC Mortgage Services to build hurricane-evacuee housing projects along the Gulf Coast. The DensArmor Plus(r) moisture- and mold-resistant interior gypsum panels were used in building the 4,400-square-foot Family Center at the historic New Orleans Rescue Mission, the first post Katrina LEED-certified transitional green home in the Gulf Coast region.
"With the climate conditions in New Orleans, DensArmor Plus(r) paperless interior drywall is ideally suited for HomeAid's LEED-certified New Orleans Mission Family Center because of its capability to resist moisture and mold," said Jan Buras, president of JaRoy Construction, Inc., the contractor for the Family Center project. In addition, Georgia-Pacific donated Plytanium(r) Plywood to increase the strength and durability of the center's roof. The New Orleans Mission Family Center is registered with the United States Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program and will be certified at the end of the build.
"Georgia-Pacific's donation of DensArmor Plus(r) paperless interior drywall and Plytanium(r) Plywood products were critical to ensuring the sustainability and performance of the center's design," said Diane Dempcy, director of Strategic Initiatives for HomeAid, who is responsible for HomeAid's Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts as well as its sustainability program. "With the pending LEED certification of the Family Center along with several green projects that are in the planning stages with our chapters, Georgia-Pacific's donation enables us to intelligently create a set of sustainability standards that make sense for our organization."
About Georgia-Pacific
Headquartered at Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose, and related chemicals. The company employs approximately 50,000 people at more than 300 locations in North America, South America and Europe. Georgia-Pacific has long been among the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers, with brands such as Plytanium(r), Ply-Bead(r) and Wood I Beam(tm) offered by Georgia-Pacific Wood Products LLC and DensArmor Plus(r), DensGlass Gold(r) and ToughRock(r) offered by Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC. The familiar consumer tissue brands of Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP include Quilted Northern(r), Angel Soft(r), Brawny(r), Sparkle(r), Soft 'n Gentle(r), Mardi Gras(r), So-Dri(r) and Vanity Fair(r). Dixie Consumer Products LLC, a Georgia-Pacific company manufactures the Dixie(r) brand of disposable cups, plates and cutlery. For more information, visit www.gp.com/build or call 800-BUILD GP.
About HomeAid
HomeAid is a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless. Founded in 1989, the organization has built housing for more than 60,000 men, women and children. Established by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), HomeAid has completed more than 135 housing projects nationwide with another 58 projects currently in development. HomeAid includes a network of 19 chapters in 13 states and four offices in Newport Beach, CA (headquarters); Washington, D.C.; Augusta, GA; and New Orleans, LA (for hurricane rebuilding efforts). For more information about HomeAid, call 949-258-0850 or visit homeaid.org.
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