Our store teams are proud of the thousands of hours they volunteer each year to improve the communities we serve, and that circle of pride continues to grow. In 2010, our two new stores in Mexico launched their Lowe's Heroes program, joining participating Lowe's facilities in the United States and Canada. Whether it was helping to rebuild a tornado-battered school or rebuilding a low-income homeowner's pride alongside one of our national partners, Lowe's Heroes assisted our neighbors across North America. Lowe's Heroes participated in more than 1,300 projects, and Lowe's contributed more than $1.3 million in materials.
Each year, many Lowe's stores collaborate on a group project so they can make a larger difference. In 2010, with the support of Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, Lowe's gave employees a chance to make even more of an impact in the communities where we work and live. Lowe's Foundation contributed more than $1 million to support larger Heroes projects. Lowe's Heroes' grants, up to $50,000, brought together groups of Lowe's stores to benefit public schools and nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada.