As temperatures spike during the Arizona summer, those experiencing homelessness are often the most at risk of dehydration, food insecurity and other serious issues.
Luckily, charitable organizations like André House in Phoenix generously provide free hot meals, water, showers and other resources to help people in these situations.
As a longtime partner, U-Haul contributes to André House in a variety of ways such as donation drives at U-Haul facilities in the Valley, and volunteering to prepare and serve meals.
Recently, several U-Haul Team Members cooked and served dinner to a crowd of 300 people at André House. While the lines were long and the work busy, the volunteers enjoyed the opportunity to serve people in their communities.
“I was part of the serving line that passed out the food, and I helped clean up the dining room after the guests left,” stated U-Haul system administrator Justin Whitaker. “As a first-time André House volunteer, I initially didn’t know what to expect. But the employees gave us straightforward and easy-to-follow instructions, and I never felt like I was assigned to anything that I couldn’t do.
“It’s mind-blowing that we were able to feed hundreds of people in need in just a couple of hours. This experience, along with other incredible volunteering events, motivates me to keep looking for ways to make a difference. I’m proud to be part of a service-oriented and compassionate team like Team U-Haul.”
U-Haul, headquartered in Phoenix since 1967, seeks to make an impact by assisting organizations that address people’s most basic needs: food, clothing and shelter. This has long been the focus of the Company’s community outreach because U-Haul views accessible residential mobility as a basic need, and works to meet that need at a low cost across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces.
U-Haul also works with many organizations that honor and assist veterans, as it was founded by a WWII Navy veteran and his wife in 1945.
Read more on the Community Relations page at uhaul.com.