There will be 120 trees planted in the yards of Cuero residents courtesy of a Keep America Beautiful project on Saturday, Nov. 8, according to Keep Cureo Beautiful President Sara Meyer.
Meyer said Keep America Beautiful recently advised the local organization of the $15,000 grant funded by the Home Depot Foundation. The tree planting event is one of several across the country made possible by a $250,000 grant to Keep America Beautiful from the home improvement store’s foundation.
“Following the plantings, Cureo will be greener,” said Meyer, who noted that 60 15-gallon Shumard Oaks and 60 15-gallon Muskogee Crepe Myrtles would be planted in Cureo.
The project aims to replace trees that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and Winter Storm Uri in 2022. The initiative is part of a national effort funded by the home improvement store’s foundation to restore tree canopies in communities impacted by natural disasters.
Meyer said Cuero lost 1,000 trees during Hurricane Harvey and 500 trees during Winter Storm Uri.
The Home Depot Foundation grant supports the RETREET program, which is a mission to replant trees lost due to hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, and floods. Since 2015 The Home Depot Foundation has contributed more that $400,000 to RETREET, helping restore over 3000 trees, and now with this funding in 2025 more than 1000 trees will be planted, including the 120 in Cuero.
The trees will be planted in Cuero by local volunteers, Team Depot (The Home Depot’s associate volunteer force), and RETREET project leaders. The day will kick off with light breakfast and educational program on “Care of Trees” by Anthony Netardus, De Witt County Extension Agent.
Meyer said that the trees will be planted in the yards of residents who made an application to the organization in January of this year.
”KCB was overwhelmed with the response,” Meyer said.
Jeri Irby, Director of RETREET and Green Initiatives for Keep America Beautiful, said the generosity of Home Depot Foundation is making a great contribution to communities.
“We’re not only restoring trees but also bringing hope and healing to neighborhoods that have endured so much,” Irby said.
The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, to support communities impacted by natural disasters and to train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap.
Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more that $550 million in veterans causes and improved more than 65,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest $750 milliion in veteran causes by 2030 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program by 2028.
Keep America Beautiful (KAB.org) is the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization and works to inspire and educate people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, KAB strives to end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America’s communities.
RETREET, a signature program of KAB, is the only program of its kind dedicated to post-disaster tree planting. Over the past decade, it has helped restore more than 7,000 trees in communities across the country as they recover from natural disasters. For more information, visit kab.org/retreet.
