Our Community Spirit At Cole Hardware, we pride ourselves in the strong sense of community that was instilled in the business when Dave Karp took over our Cole Street store nearly 50 years ago. When residents and businesses alike are deeply involved in their communities, everyone benefits and the neighborhoods almost have a ”small town” feel to them. Remember those days when everyone in town knew the name of their local butcher, shoemaker and pharmacist? While we try to be up-to-date with the newest, most innovative products to offer, we also strive for our stores to have a friendly, helpful reputation. Our popular Community Partner Program for schools and non-profits is fast approaching 400 members and we’ve found this a great way to give back to the community. With budget cuts adversely affecting nonprofit groups and our education system, these groups are grateful for any help they receive these days and we’re happy to be able to do so. In 2007, we’ve donated over $10,000 in Cole Hardware gift cards for silent auctions and raffles and over 12,000 bottles of our Clearly Cole Water for fundraising events. In addition to our Community Partner Program, we also belong to several neighborhood and small business organizations, whose mission it is to make their communities a better place to live and work. Besides belonging to larger organizations such as the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, which promotes the virtues of the City worldwide, we’re also proud members of smaller groups such as the Cole Valley Improvement Association and the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. Small business and community groups bring a lot to their neighborhoods and are also strong advocates for issues that are important for them. We also participate in various neighborhood festivals, environmental fairs and City events promoting green practices that City residents can adopt to save energy and the environment. We love being a part of the community in this way. All schools and non-profits are invited to join our community partner program. If your group is not listed on page 11 of the Hardware Hotline, please send an email to Julia@colehardware. com for instructions on how to become a member and details on the benefits for your group. Until later, we hope to see you around the neighborhood! - Hardware Hotline  January, 2008