Twenty-four U-Haul volunteers recently spent a Saturday morning at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, where emergency food boxes were packed for people in need.
At the end of the two-hour session, U-Haul volunteers had assembled 651 boxes full of nutritious, nonperishable food.
St. Mary’s Food Bank has been relieving hunger in Arizona for more than 50 years. U-Haul has supported the charity since 1992, and Team Members regularly volunteer their time there to pack food boxes at the main warehouse.
U-Haul has long been a supporter of nonprofit organizations that address people’s most basic human needs, such as food, clothing and shelter. This is largely because U-Haul is a company that fulfills a basic need through America and Canada – providing affordable and accessible residential mobility.
Nonprofits seeking assistance with their truck and trailer rentals, and whose objectives align with those of U-Haul, can contact our Community Relations team with the specifics of their request along with 501c3 verification by emailing donations@uhaul.com.
Proud Volunteer
U-Haul Truck/Trailer Development specialist Michele Ramirez has volunteered at St. Mary’s Food Bank previously and was eager to sign up again.
“I usually attend with my co-worker Michelle Vukov-Mikel, so it’s become an enjoyable tradition for the two of us,” Ramirez said. “I always have a great time when I volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank. They play fun music from different genres over the speakers and it’s easy to get into a groove. I was assigned to load cans of kidney beans into each box and the time just flew by.
“Other volunteers would notice our group’s U-Haul shirts and say things like, ‘That’s so cool that your Company wants you to volunteer here!’ It made me feel even more proud to be a part of Team U-Haul.”
Valuable Lessons
Repwest supervisor Sonja Flores, a first-time St. Mary’s Food Bank volunteer, brought her kids to the event. Now she and her family want to make this part of their routine.
“I believe all humans should help each other and it’s important to me that my kids learn that,” Flores said. “It’s great that U-Haul encourages and supports employees to volunteer their time to help the community.
“My family and I enjoyed ourselves at St. Mary’s Food Bank and we will most likely go again. Everyone was friendly and it was a fun environment. We spent the time packing food into boxes. It was amazing to see how much was accomplished with all of us working together.”
For U-Haul buyer Denise Paprocki, volunteering is the perfect way to express gratitude for your blessings.
“My husband, Don, and I both have jobs, a roof over our heads and food on the table, so we’re already better off than a lot of people,” Paprocki stressed. “Because of that, we both try to frequently volunteer at food banks, homeless shelters and other charitable organizations.
“If I could give any piece of advice to Team Members who may be hesitant about volunteering, I’d say grab a friend who’s willing to go with you and go for it. If you have people by your side, you’ll have no reason to feel awkward or alone. And even if you can’t find anyone to go with you, you’ll still meet so many great people and possibly make new friends. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Click here to read more about our partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank.
