What is Go Orange Day? It is a designated day of hunger awareness, as orange is the color that signifies hunger.
Every day is already an orange-clad day at U-Haul, so it makes sense to have the do-it-yourself moving industry leader serve as the sponsor of St. Mary’s Go Orange Day during Hunger Action Month.
Every September, Arizona-headquartered U-Haul International participates in a food drive to benefit longstanding local charity partner St. Mary’s.
Then after the food drive, U-Haul Team Members put on their orange volunteer shirts and make the short drive to the St. Mary’s Food Bank main distribution warehouse in Midtown Phoenix for two hours of packing emergency food boxes.
The goal of Go Orange Day is to ensure everyone in our community has enough to eat and to highlight the ongoing challenges for those facing hunger. Go Orange Day 2024 was smashing successful. Check out the numbers:
| Contribution Type | Contribution Amount | Meals Equivalent |
| Food | 2,206 lbs. | 1,838 Meals |
| Monetary | $15,000.00 | 75,000 Meals |
| Time (Volunteer) | 1,872 Emergency Food Boxes | 41,184 Meals |
| TOTAL | 118,022 Meals |
Volunteer events and sponsorships like Go Orange Day with St. Mary’s Food Bank play a pivotal role in fostering a sense of community.
Proud to Volunteer
Kelie Budd-Hale, U-Haul Media & Public Relations specialist, noted: “It is a pleasure to see U-Haul mentioned in the news each time we do any of our volunteer events in the Phoenix area. It gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment to know what the outcome was, or the result was the appreciation from the communities we serve through our charities. People in the community sometimes don’t realize what an impact U-Haul International has outside of our everyday business.”
Kat Miles, U-Haul Recruiting project coordinator, enjoyed interacting with colleagues that she doesn’t often see during a daily workday. “This allows for all of us to connect and do something we all love, which is sharing time with each other and helping our community,” Miles added. “Seeing so many families in line at the other end of the building waiting to get their food package donation was a reminder that what we do is helping others.”
U-Haul is an action-oriented company that actively engages in volunteerism and community service. This culture of giving back cultivates a sense of purpose and pride among Team Members and strengthens community ties. Over the years, U-Haul has supported local organizations and will continue to do so in the future.
Read more stories about our St. Mary’s support and volunteer days by clicking here.
