Spoontember Volunteer Day at St. Mary’s with Team U-Haul

Sep 26, 2015

U-Haul volunteers with St. Mary's Food BankPHOENIX – Thirty-one U-Haul Team Members, family members and friends came together on Sept. 19 at St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance for U-Haul Company’s monthly volunteer day.

September also serves as Hunger Action Month. St. Mary’s has invited the community to help fight hunger by participating in events throughout the month. Orange spoons, feather boas, hats and glasses in the break room allowed volunteers to take some fun photos and spread the word online using the hashtag #spoontember.

After a quick lesson on St. Mary’s history as the world’s first food bank, volunteers were taken to their assembly-line stations and tasked with placing food items into boxes: cereal, pasta, rice and cans of vegetables and fruit.

However, the tape machine that assembles the boxes as they first go out was out of service. This meant our U-Haul volunteers needed to manually tape the boxes. Lucky for us, U-Haul Team Members are the experts when it comes to moving supplies like tape. The volunteers didn’t miss a beat.

U-Haul volunteers with St. Mary's Food Bank

Box after box went down the assembly line getting filled with nutritious food. After passing through the last strip of tape, the boxes were stacked on a pallet. At the end of the day, U-Haul volunteers packed 1,140 boxes that filled 19 pallets and weighed more than 18,000 pounds!

“This was actually my first time at St. Mary’s,” U-Haul Team Member and volunteer Elisabeth Novak said. “What really made an impact for me was the amount of people that volunteered and how efficient we were as a team. It was such a great experience to represent U-Haul and come from all different buildings and departments to work towards a common goal. Knowing that we were able to pack that many boxes is truly amazing. I had a blast.”

U-Haul volunteers visit St. Mary’s at least twice a year and are involved in other projects to aid the Food Bank, including the annual delivery of Thanksgiving turkeys that Team Members choose to donate. U-Haul also is a proud Hunger Hero. Through the Hunger Hero Program, St. Mary’s recognizes and honors organizations making an extraordinary impact in the community through gifts of volunteer time, food drives and cash donations.

U-Haul volunteers with St. Mary's Food BankSt. Mary’s collects and distributes food to 10 of Arizona’s 15 counties. According to Charity Navigator, St. Mary’s puts 96.4 cents of every dollar toward programs to feed the hungry. The nonprofit organization is committed to building community relationships and improving the lives of Arizonans in need.
Thank you to our volunteers: Rod McDowell, Marcia Chiariello, Courtney Neyra, Diego Neyra, Jess Quinio, Shawn J. Quinio, Alonna Ross, Zofia Sells, Elisabeth Novak, Laura Rollins, Margaret Mazzella, Robyn Mazzella, Paige Eagles, Brenda Fillmore, Crystal Heuft, Juliann Vanwormer, Amber Bremer, Lanny Olds, Michelle Vukov-Mikel, Morgan Smith, Kate Bickmore, Hilda Shockey, Antoinette Duncan, Jenn Roldan, Liza Perry, Tyler Perry, Paul Perry, Kimberly Wolf, Evan Nicolls, Lori Provencio and Isaac Provencio.

Last Time Out: Read about our August volunteer day at Andre House by clicking here.

 

More articles like this one…

What’s New

Humble Design San Diego Helping 500th Family Escape Homelessness

Humble Design San Diego Helping 500th Family Escape Homelessness

Turning empty residences into furnished homes in San Diego County since 2018, Humble Design has a 98% effectiveness rate for their clients breaking the cycle of homelessness Humble Design, a U-Haul charity partner since 2016, is about to celebrate a milestone that is...

An Intern’s Account: Participating in the 21st Annual Pat’s Run

An Intern’s Account: Participating in the 21st Annual Pat’s Run

U-Haul® Public Relations intern Kailash Garcia-Delaney experienced his first Pat’s Run on April 12 in Tempe, Ariz., one of many Team Members to do so as part of the Company’s ongoing sponsorship of the Pat Tillman Foundation and the Tillman Scholars program. Here is...

U-Haul Offers Flood Relief across Greater Cincinnati and Louisville

U-Haul Offers Flood Relief across Greater Cincinnati and Louisville

U-Haul® is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container usage at 21 facilities in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southern Indiana to residents impacted by severe flooding in the region. The Ohio River crested above 60 feet due to recent storms,...

U-Haul Volunteers Pack 2,700 Emergency Food Boxes at St. Mary’s

U-Haul Volunteers Pack 2,700 Emergency Food Boxes at St. Mary’s

U-Haul Team Members came together and packed over 2,700 emergency food boxes on March 1 at the St. Mary’s Food Bank warehouse in Phoenix. The food boxes help provide nutritious options for families, children and seniors facing food insecurity across the Valley and...

U-Haul of Rock Springs Store Receives Beautification Award

U-Haul of Rock Springs Store Receives Beautification Award

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Rock Springs (Wyo.) received the Pride of Place Award on Feb. 27 for its commitment to the beautification of the city and its contributions to the overall appearance of Rock Springs. Paige Moore and Paul Johnson accepted the award at the...

Storm Recovery: U-Haul Offers 30 Days Free Storage at 366 Centers

Storm Recovery: U-Haul Offers 30 Days Free Storage at 366 Centers

U-Haul® has made 366 Company stores available to help storm victims with 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container usage after a powerful weather system produced deadly tornadoes, fires, flooding and wind damage across a line of states Friday through...

Disaster Relief: U-Haul Offers 30 Days Free Storage in Oklahoma

Disaster Relief: U-Haul Offers 30 Days Free Storage in Oklahoma

Three U-Haul® Companies in Oklahoma have made 16 centers available to provide 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container usage to residents affected by the wildfires and windstorms that wreaked havoc Friday across the Sooner State. Extreme winds sparked an...