Clayton Supply's Morristown Locations Aid in Disaster Relief

Leadership at Clayton Supply facilities in Morristown was trying to figure out what to do with an abundance of scrap sheetrock when Team Member Experience Generalist Tori Bullington had an idea.

She mentioned God’s Warehouse, an organization in Morristown, TN that provides disaster relief services, emergency response efforts, critical medical care and aid to surrounding communities, and its almost constant need for building materials.

Bullington reached out to a contact associated with God’s Warehouse and learned that the organization is in the process of rebuilding and repairing homes affected by recent natural disasters like Hurricane Helene.

A perfect partnership was born.

“By coming together to help families and communities in need, we're opening doors to new opportunities and giving back in ways that make a real difference,” Bullington said. “It reflects our commitment to caring for people, earning trust through our actions, and supporting the communities where we live and work. When we work together, we can make an impact that's bigger than any of us could make alone.”

Rooted in Recovery

Don Owen, who coordinates disaster relief efforts at God’s Warehouse, doesn’t remember exactly when God’s Warehouse began operating, but its first major response stands out vividly in his mind: the 1993 “Storm of the Century” that saw East Tennessee blanketed with record snowfall, adding up to more than two feet in some areas.

Volunteers at God’s Warehouse collected 11 tractor-trailer loads of supplies, including beds, furniture and appliances, and stored them in trailers for dissemination to those in need.

“We just started trying to take care of people’s physical needs for those that lost their houses,” said Owen. “Some lost everything.”

Since then, teams from God’s Warehouse have responded to devastating disasters around the world, including the recent earthquakes in Venezuela.

Still, Owen and his team initially didn’t know what to expect when Hurricane Helene hit Appalachia in September 2024. In the immediate aftermath, they set out with bucket trucks, skid steers and teams with chainsaws to clear debris and remove trees from homes.

Then the calls began to pour in. Areas across East Tennessee and western North Carolina reported unprecedented flooding, landslides and debris flows from the storm.

Hurricane Helene caused more than $60 billion in damage in Tennessee and North Carolina, according to estimates from the state government of North Carolina and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Recognizing the need, God’s Warehouse, with the assistance of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, leased an additional building in Elizabethton, TN, where they store and distribute critical building supplies to families and communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The first sheetrock donation from Clayton Supply went to Elizabethton in May 2026. The two have collaborated to address needs in other areas in the months since.

When one of God’s Warehouse’s partner locations requests assistance, God’s Warehouse sends a driver toting a 53-foot trailer to the Clayton Supply facilities in Morristown. The trailer can fit around 18 bundles of 30-50 pieces of scrap sheetrock, which includes anything that doesn’t meet Clayton’s quality standards, such as wrinkled wallpaper, a chipped corner or minor forklift damage.

Clayton Supply facilities have organized a total of four loads. The last three shipments have gone to southeastern Kentucky, which has dealt with recurrent catastrophic floods since 2022.

The first load took over three hours to unload and distribute to families in need. On ensuing trips, the God’s Warehouse driver and volunteers from Breathitt County (KY) Hunger Alliance unloaded sheetrock directly from the trailer and into pickup trucks and vans.

That process still took an hour and a half.

“We were looking for ways to assist our Kentucky partners in their recovery efforts,” said Owen. “The sheetrock donated by Clayton has opened the door to many opportunities, and we and the people of Kentucky are grateful.”

By working with God’s Warehouse, Clayton Supply can Do good in the communities they serve and beyond; the arrangement’s benefits extend further than that.

Diverting scrap sheetrock into disaster relief projects has a positive environmental impact by preventing it from potentially ending up in a landfill.

“Partnering with God's Warehouse allows us to play a small part in helping families rebuild their homes after experiencing devastating damage,” said Whitney Gilliam, Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator for Clayton Supply facilities in Morristown. “It also gives us an opportunity to keep material out of landfills and place it in communities that need it most.”