After the Storm

On May 18, 2025, a tornado ripped through northern St. Louis, leaving many without essential needs.

On May 18, 2025, a tornado tore through northern St. Louis, leveling homes, uprooting lives, and leaving hundreds across the metro area in crisis. It was a once in a generation storm — the kind that rewrites the landscape and leaves scars long after the skies have cleared.

Fast forward a few weeks later and the community is still trying to pick up the pieces. Some neighborhoods still don’t have power. Others are even worse off. The community facing the slow, uneven process of rebuilding with slow outside help. The toll is devastating.

Luckily, there are companies like The Home Depot who are willing to step up and give a helping hand to a community they have seen affected, first-hand. On June 6th, they deployed boots on the ground to feed associates at two stores impacted by the storms.

Making an Impact

The Home Depot deployed a team from the Metro Atlanta area to St. Louis. Their aim was to rally to support employees and neighbors directly affected by the storm. Many homes in these areas were uninsured — handed down through generations — resources are scarce, and infrastructure is still struggling. The Home Depot has stepped up by sending supplies, coordinating efforts, and showing up to feed a community where hot meals are more difficult to come by than they used to be.

As part of this effort, pitmaster Rasheed Philips came from Atlanta to cook for two Home Depot stores in the St. Louis metro area. Nourishment wasn’t the only goal — lifting morale was. It was about bringing people together around a hot meal, lifting spirits, and letting folks know they weren’t forgotten.

Feeding the Spirit

I was on-site during one of the events, and the stories I heard were as humbling as they were heartbreaking. I spoke to Karen, an employee who told me her friend’s house had been completely destroyed. The whole block gone. Many in the area were uninsured and now have nothing left to rebuild with — no safety net, no backup plan. Some are living in what’s left of their homes, sitting outside to protect what little remains.

Still, there was a strength in that crowd. A sense of shared struggle. People weren’t waiting for someone else to fix it. They were helping one another. Bringing in gas, water, generators. Setting up grills. Finding a way.

More Than a Meal

There’s something powerful about gathering around food in the wake of tragedy. It provides more than just calories — it offers comfort, connection, and in this case, a moment of normalcy. You could sense it in the crowd. People were just happy to see someone cared enough to come by and help, even if it was a small gesture.

The Home Depot community — locally and nationally — has been showing up with resources, support, and time. And you could tell it mattered. In a place still navigating so much loss, these acts of service helped restore something intangible. Hope.

Reflections on Resilience

In a time where it feels like division dominates headlines, what I saw in St. Louis was a powerful reminder of what community can be. There was no grandstanding. No spotlight. Just people helping people. Not for credit, but because they recognized a fellow human in need.

It’s heartbreaking to see how little attention this tragedy has received. Entire blocks are in ruins, and yet there’s been minimal national coverage. It’s often the communities with the fewest resources that are hit hardest and overlooked quickest.

That’s why stories like this matter. Because they remind us to look closer, care deeper, and show up.