Field relief manager Paul Chalmers and fellow Team Members from U-Haul Company of Hamilton place great importance on contributing to their community.
So when local charity Project SHARE launched its annual Good News Breakfast Food Drive Challenge this past holiday season, Paul knew they had to participate. He entered U-Haul Moving and Storage of Niagara Falls Ontario into the challenge.
Project SHARE (acronym for: Support, Housing, Awareness, Resources and Emergency) serves individuals and families living in poverty in the Niagara Falls community. Project SHARE addresses short-term needs for food and also works to create long-term solutions for food security. It also strives to mobilize resources in communities and adapts services in order to respond to changes in various neighborhoods.
In support of its Christmas program, Project SHARE challenged local schools, businesses and other members of the Niagara Falls community to see who could collect the most food, toys and Canadian Tire Money. Winners would be determined by the dollar value of goods donated divided by the total number of employees or students. The business or school with the highest value per employee/student would win and all the proceeds from the challenge would go to helping families in need.
Katie Cuviello from Project SHARE with Paul Chalmers and Dan Argenta.
“I entered the challenge because I thought it was a great way for our team to help families in need during the holiday season,” said Chalmers, who in addition to his FRM role is an owners rep/project manager for U-Haul Moving and Storage of Niagara Falls Ontario. “It was a great opportunity for our team to get involved and make a difference in the community at the same time.”
As a unique way to raise money and involve the community, Team Members at the U-Haul store encouraged customers to become #uhaulfamous by snapping a picture of themselves with U-Haul equipment or products and uploading the photo to uhaulfamous.com. For every picture that was uploaded, U-Haul donated a dollar to the Good News Breakfast Food Drive Challenge.
Paul Chalmers, Jessie Duguay and the DJ from 2Day FM.
On Dec. 11, the challenge concluded with the 25th anniversary of the 2day FM Good News Breakfast. 2day FM broadcast live from the breakfast, creating an exciting buzz.
When it was time to announce the winners of the Good News Breakfast Food Drive Challenge, U-Haul Team Members were quite surprised and very pleased to hear that they WON! The victory included a $1,500 advertising package with 2day FM, which was a great incentive for Chalmers and U-Haul.
Paul Chalmers and Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati
The best part was that U-Haul customers and community members, including Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, uploaded their pictures to become #uhaulfamous and get their faces on the side of a truck that will be available for rent in the Niagara Falls community for years to come.
“2day FM has been running the Good News Breakfast Challenge for Project SHARE for many years now, and every year we are so lucky to partner with new businesses. This year we had the privilege of working with U-Haul Moving and Storage of Niagara Falls Ontario, as they participated for the first time in the Corporate Challenge,” said Katie Cuviello, Special Events coordiantor, Project SHARE. “Myself, staff and volunteers at Project SHARE were overwhelmed by the support and generosity we received from U-Haul, as the company played a substantial role in helping us provide a holiday meal and gifts for 4,300 people at Christmas. We are so lucky to have such a generous community supporter.”
The Good News Breakfast Food Drive Challenge proved a great opportunity for U-Haul Moving and Storage of Niagara Falls Ontario to get involved with Project SHARE and interact with the community in a fun and productive way. Stay tuned for more to come as U-Haul Moving and Storage of Niagara Falls Ontario gears up for their new, state-of-the-art storage grand opening this spring.
Click here to learn more about Project SHARE and how you can help.
