Lowe’s helps build shed for nonprofit

The Friends of Beltzville State Park unveiled its new maintenance shed Tuesday built as part of a Lowe’s neighborhood initiative.

John Dworsky, member of the Friends of Beltzville State Park, said the nonprofit has been in need of a shed for quite some time and was able to connect with Lowe’s through the store’s Helping Hands project.

“They do one project a year for a local nonprofit or organization and it lined up nicely with what we needed here so they came out and built it for us and it didn’t cost us a dime,” Dworsky said.

The shed is located next to Beltz­ville’s environmental interpretive center and will serve multiple roles.

“It’s a storage shed, but also we have some activities here so when people come to our pollinator garden, we’ll open the shed and display some of our stuff that we’ll have for sale,” Dworsky said. “The park lets us use the interpretive center, but it’s a government building and we try not to infringe upon them too much.”

Lowe’s employees spent a few days building the shed in August, and visitors on Thursday seeing it firsthand included members of the Friends organization and state Rep. Doyle Heffley. Heffley lauded Lowe’s and the nonprofit for working together for the greater good.

Had the store not stepped forward, Dworsky said, the shed would have likely cost the group between $2,500 and $3,000 to build on its own.

“Plus, they have the expertise,” he added. “Not everyone is a carpenter, so for them to lend their abilities, it was very much appreciated.”

Britt Roberts-Faulk, the Lowe’s store manager in Lehighton, told Dworsky on Tuesday that the employees thoroughly enjoyed the work and came back excited about what had been accomplished.

Dworsky said the Friends are always looking for volunteers to help spruce up the park.

“Anyone who is interested can contact Alma Holmes, park manager, and she can get you set up with an individual program,” he added. “Many hands make light work.”