Lumber Donations Make a Difference

For several years, Dash Lumber, a family-owned company in New Orleans, quietly has donated lumber, plywood and other building materials to Tulane University for use in community-based design-and-build projects.

“Dash Lumber supports our community-based projects in several ways — either outright material donations or discounts on products,” says Emilie Taylor, senior program coordinator at the Tulane City Center, the outreach arm of the School of Architecture that helps revitalize neighborhoods through student/faculty design-and-build projects.

Taylor says Dash donations have been used to build shade units at the Hollygrove Market and Farm; the Storypod, a room for Neighborhood Story Project writers to conduct interviews; structures at the Faubourg Delassize Community Garden; and an outdoor playroom for children living at Hagar's House, a transitional home.

The company also recently donated materials for the sukkahs that were constructed on campus during the fall Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Dash Lumber was founded in 1946 by “Mister Sam” Diecidue and his son, Joe; today, grandsons Michael and Gary Diecidue run the company as CEO and vice president, respectively. And 60 years later, Joe Diecidue still works every day.

The partnership began when the family contacted the School of Architecture in 2009.

“I had read about some of the great service projects the school was working on,” says Michael Diecidue, CEO. “We wanted to help out.”

Gary Diecidue, whose daughter Carly currently is a first-year student at Tulane, says, “By supporting Tulane and helping out the students, we are supporting the city of New Orleans.”

Taylor says, “The Dash family has been enthusiastic about each new project and has been a big part of making many of these projects happen. Dash Lumber has delivered everything from large laminated beams to fine veneer plywood to our student job sites and we are honored to have the support of a local business.”