U-Haul answered the call when it came to lending a hand – and an ear – to help at-risk Valley residents and Arizona charity partner St. Vincent de Paul through the annual ABC15 Water Drive.
Nearly a dozen U-Haul volunteers gathered on June 14 and manned the phones at a makeshift call center inside St. Vincent de Paul’s warehouse just south of downtown Phoenix to accept donations for the water drive.
ABC15 viewers called in over the course of three hours, from 4 to 7 p.m., as the station aired multiple live spots from the event asking for assistance in meeting the water needs of the homeless and other at-risk individuals during the steamy Arizona summer months.
U-Haul volunteers politely took hundreds of calls to ensure St. Vincent de Paul received each gift. And, of course, they waved and smiled for the camera in their orange U-Haul shirts.
“I’ve got some very enthusiastic ladies here helping me out today. I love having them come to all of our volunteer events,” stated Jeff Lockridge, U-Haul manager of media and public relations. “Let me say thanks to ABC15 and everything you guys are doing to help meet a need. And it is a need here in Phoenix. You only have to step outside for a couple of minutes to understand the importance of being hydrated – and for the at-risk population, and especially the homeless in Phoenix.”
In addition to the volunteer work, Lockridge presented St. Vincent de Paul with a check to cover the cost of five pallets worth of water.
“To help out a little bit, we’ve got $4,000 we’d like to present to St. Vincent de Paul today to help meet that need,” Lockridge said. “I believe that’s 28,000 bottles of water. … You are a longstanding charity partner of ours here at U-Haul. We’ve been here since 1967 (headquartered) in Phoenix, and we’ve been with you much of that time.”
U-Haul is also holding its own water drive to benefit St. Vincent de Paul during the month of June.
To give to the ABC15 Water Drive and help St. Vincent de Paul, visit https://www.stvincentdepaul.net/abc15-water-drive.
