There are several reasons why customers love the Ready-To-GoSM Box. Some customers prefer their sustainability as a green product. Others enjoy their portability. Still others like their affordability.
But now you can add another reason to the long list of why customers rent Ready-To-Go Boxes: their ability to fit a lot of meals for students.
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, students everywhere have been confined to their homes for a virtual education, leaving many without the opportunity to get their daily breakfast or lunch in the school cafeteria. In response to this situation, cafeteria workers – like Kristi Bracken – have been preparing meals and delivering them to students in need.
Bracken is a lead cook for Winchester Elementary School in Roseburg, a scenic city in the Umpqua River Valley of southern Oregon. Through the stress and uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought, Bracken continues to help prepare meals every day and deliver them to hungry children.
But shortly after beginning this daily task, Bracken needed to find an alternative to the cardboard boxes that she was using to carry the meals.
“After starting off with cardboard boxes, I began to realize that they weren’t going to work in the long term,” Bracken explained. “First, they didn’t have flaps, which made them difficult to carry. Also, the boxes were getting wet and falling apart in the rain. I just kept thinking, ‘There has to be a better way of doing this.’”
A perfect fit
Bracken’s search for finding a better box led her to U-Haul Storage of Umpqua Valley, where she spoke with store general manager Andrew Weeks.
“When she started telling me that she was looking for a sturdy box that she could place food in, disinfect after each use and reuse, I immediately recommended Ready-To-Go Boxes,” Weeks said. “She was so instantly sold on them. She rented nine.”
“I like the fact that they’re sturdy and reusable,” Bracken added. “Many of the meals that we deliver include juices and fruits. Those items can leave whatever they’re stored in sticky, but I simply just clean and disinfect the Ready-To-Go Boxes after each use. The convenience is a godsend, and I didn’t have to go all over Douglas County looking for a solution to my problem.”
Ready to help
Not only was Bracken thrilled that she was able to find the perfect solution to her needs, she was also happy to see that the store was open and ready to serve her at a time when a lot of businesses are shuttered.
U-Haul is an essential service provider, as designated by the government, and continues to help customers and communities meet their moving and self-storage needs during the outbreak – in addition to solving a few other dilemmas like meal deliveries.
“It’s extremely important to customers that we remain open right now, and the Ready-To-Go Box is one product that can benefit customers at a time like this,” Weeks said. “Because it’s a newer product, not a lot of customers know about them. But once we show them the boxes and all their advantages, they usually become very interested right away.
“Serving our community is something we do here every day. That’s the whole reason I come to work. I want our store to be visible in the community. I think that’s something we’ve done well, and it makes all the hard work we put in every day well worth it.”
For information on the enhanced safety protocols and contactless programs that U-Haul is offering, please visit our COVID-19 page at uhaul.com/announcement.
Find more stories on the impact U-Haul is making in your community by visiting the community section of myuhaulstory.com.
