500 miles, 200 laps, 33 drivers and one cold bottle of milk — the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge takes place on Sunday, May 29. When it does, one car will be racing to raise awareness and $1 million in donations for a nonprofit that is making a difference for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans in the United States.
Longtime friend of AJ Foyt Racing and Indy 500 team sponsor ABC Supply Co. Inc. is putting nonprofit Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) center stage at "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Since September 11, 2001, over 2.5 million Americans have served our nation, and of that group, more than 1,000 Veterans have sustained severe physical injuries, including one or more amputations, full or partial paralysis, and severe traumatic brain injury. Founded in 2004, HFOT's mission is to build and donate specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. To date, the organization has built over 330 homes.
J.R. Hildebrand will pilot the No. 11 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, which this year will sport a star-spangled American flag design with the HFOT logo and their tagline of "Building Homes, Rebuilding Lives." The patriotic car salutes and honors our troops during the event while underscoring the mission of Homes For Our Troops.
ABC Supply Co, Inc., the nation's largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding and other select exterior building products, has been a multimillion-dollar supporter of Homes For Our Troops since 2020. Nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent goes directly toward Homes For Our Troops' mission, so it relies primarily on word-of-mouth awareness instead of paid promotion.
We're proud to give Homes For Our Troops a national stage at the Indianapolis 500 to help increase awareness and donations for their organization. The work they do to support Veterans is incredible, and we're hopeful that others will be inspired to support them as well."
Mike Jost, Chief Operating Officer of ABC Supply
HFOT's partnership with their Veterans doesn't stop once their homes are complete. The organization also offers resources for financial planning, homeownership education and peer mentoring.
"At Homes For Our Troops, we consider our Veterans family. We don't just give them the keys and walk away; we maintain a relationship with them to help them rebuild their lives. The support from partners like ABC Supply enables us to provide not only specially adapted custom homes to severely injured Veterans, but also a lifelong support network," says HFOT President/CEO Brigadier General, USA (Ret) Tom Landwermeyer.
The HFOT IndyCar will first hit the track for competition in qualifying races May 21-22.
"I think the fans will love it, and I think they will be so happy to see the American flag — especially with our team," says A.J. Foyt. "I would like to thank ABC Supply for supporting Homes For Our Troops. It's great."
"To support this organization at the Speedway, bring attention to Veterans and some of the challenges that they face, and highlight the things that people and organizations like Homes For Our Troops are doing to give them opportunities to better their lives is such a special thing to be able to be a part of," says J.R. Hildebrand, driver of the No. 11 car.
About ABC Supply
ABC Supply Co. Inc. is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing in the United States and one of the nation's largest wholesale distributors of select exterior and interior building products. Since its founding by Ken and Diane Hendricks in 1982, ABC Supply's sole focus has been serving professional contractors and "making it easy" for them to do their jobs by offering the products, support and services they need — including myABCsupply, a tool that allows contractors to request measurement services, order materials, track deliveries, pay invoices and more.
A 16-time Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award winner and two-time recipient of Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Award for Best Places to Work, ABC Supply is an "employee-first" company that treats its associates with respect and gives them the tools they need to succeed. The company was also named a Best Employer for New Grads by Forbes in 2021.
Headquartered in Beloit, Wisconsin, ABC Supply has over 840 locations nationwide.
About Homes For Our Troops (HFOT)
Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) is a publicly funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. Most of these Veterans have sustained life-altering injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives.
HFOT builds these homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent has gone directly to our program services supporting Veterans.