5th Squad receives $200,000 Lowe’s grant to expand veterans services

PEARL, Mississippi — The veterans nonprofit 5th Squad was awarded a $200,000 grant from Lowe’s on July 23, 2026, to buy and renovate a new facility in Pearl, the organization and Lowe’s said.

Lowe’s presented the check as part of its Hometown community impact grant, a five-year program the company said is focused on renovating and revitalizing community spaces. Lowe’s military recruiter Tenesha Wells, a longtime 5th Squad volunteer, led the presentation, and members greeted Command Sgt. Maj. Lee Stringer with confetti and cheers, the group said.

Stringer, a 26-year military veteran who oversees the Army National Guard’s largest battalion and serves as 5th Squad’s president, said the new space could allow the nonprofit to reach thousands more veterans and their families. “All of that hit me at one time,” Stringer said. “It was just such a sense of gratitude that we were noticed and appreciated.”

Stringer said he and three fellow guardsmen founded 5th Squad in 2016 after seeing a need for rapid financial help when a fellow guardsman needed $200 to pay a light bill. That first payment prompted the group’s quick-reaction funding model, which offers same-day bill assistance, Stringer said. The group leased a 1,200-square-foot building in 2021, later moved to a smaller Pearl space and began drawing as many as 100 people to weekly events, Stringer said.

Stringer said he applied in March for a $100,000 Lowe’s Hometown grant and was notified in June that 5th Squad was among the top 100 finalists out of about 6,000 applicants. Lowe’s spokeswoman Laurel Waller said the company doubled the award to ensure the project could be completed. Lowe’s senior analyst Brett Baldeck said the company wanted to provide the investment needed to “allow the doors to open to veterans as soon as possible.” Stringer said the organization plans to move once its current lease ends in November and hopes to begin offering professional counseling and collaborative projects with other nonprofits.

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