The Atlanta-based Home Depot Foundation has announced the launch of its third Celebration of Service campaign, an annual two-month initiative to complete three hundred and fifty service projects benefiting military veterans and their families.

Part of the foundation's three-year, $50 million commitment to veterans' housing initiatives, this year's campaign kicks off with two projects in California, where teams of Home Depot-led volunteers will transform the home of a military veteran and single mother in Los Angeles and renovate Haviland House, a transitional housing facility for women veterans and their children, in San Pedro. Every fall, between September 11 and November 11, thousands of Home Depot volunteers work side-by-side with veterans to complete hundreds of service projects across the country, including retrofitting homes for veterans who require wheelchairs, creating accessible outdoor areas for veteran families to enjoy together, providing necessary repairs to transitional housing facilities, and landscaping outdoor areas at medical centers and residences for veterans and their families.

Of the approximately 22 million veterans living in the U.S., some 3.5 million have service-related disabilities and 40 percent are over the age of 65. The vast majority (70 percent) of caregivers for veterans are spouses, while an additional 25 percent are parents.

"Many veterans and their families find themselves without a safe place to call home after bravely serving our country," said Home Depot Foundation president Kelly Caffarelli. "Our mission is not only to repair and refurbish the homes and facilities where veterans live and receive services, but also to say 'thank you' for their sacrifices."