Chicago – – September 24, 2026 -- Grainger (NYSE: GWW) assembled more than 4,000 disaster relief kits during its fifth annual Bucket Build, mobilizing over 500 volunteers at its Lake Forest, Illinois headquarters.
Volunteers pack 4,000 buckets with cleaning supplies and tools for disaster response
Grainger team members joined ToolBank USA partners and students from YouthBuild Lake County and YouthBuild Waukegan to fill five-gallon buckets with cleaning supplies and hand tools donated by Grainger. The kits are intended to support families with cleanup, repairs and initial recovery after natural disasters.
ToolBank USA to distribute kits across seven potential North American deployment sites
ToolBank USA will handle distribution to communities affected by future disasters, with potential deployment locations including Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Panama City, Tampa and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Trey Bearden, CEO of ToolBank USA, said the partnership has delivered kits to 97 communities across the continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico over the past several years, following hurricanes, wildfires and floods.
Fourth-year partnership links disaster preparedness with skilled-trades workforce development
This marks the fourth consecutive year YouthBuild students have participated in the Bucket Build event. Melanie Tinto, Chief Human Resources Officer at Grainger, said the event combines disaster relief supply assembly with pathways to meaningful work for participating students.
John Valverde, President and CEO of YouthBuild Global, noted that Grainger's engagement with YouthBuild extends beyond the annual event to include volunteering at food banks and supporting energy infrastructure career training in Texas.