OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – It was a busy day of work Thursday for volunteers at an Oklahoma nonprofit, recently selected for a major grant. 

Restore OKC, in Northeast Oklahoma City was awarded grant money from the Lowe’s Hometown Impact Program. They were one of thousands of organizations around the country to apply for it. 

“When they announced it, I fell on the floor. I was totally blown away,” said Jonathan Veal, Restore OKC’s Director of Leadership Development. “To be recognized and to be selected as an awardee of the grant was pretty phenomenal.”

On Thursday, between 60 and 70 volunteers from the nonprofit and Lowe’s worked on the Rotary Red Barn, which will soon be a skilled trades workshop for the community. 

“The room we’re standing in right now is actually going to be woodworking,” said Stephen Elliot, an OKC Lowe’s store manager. “[In] the room behind us. I think there’s going to be more of a multi-purpose room… There may be some steel fabrication.”

The organizations say skilled-trade jobs are essential, because they build our hometowns. According to a Lowe’s press release, there’s currently a shortage of skilled labor workers. 

Veal told KFOR once completed, the workshop will be open to anyone in the community. 

“It could be the person across the street. It could be a person, you know, three blocks away and so we’re working really hard to get the word out,” said Veal. “Wherever your skill level is, knowledge level is, we can start with that and build from that.”