More than 30 U-Haul volunteers came together on July 13 to pack emergency food boxes at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix.
The nonprofit is Arizona’s largest food bank and provides over 250,000 meals a day to families facing food insecurity.
U-Haul, headquartered in Phoenix since 1967, is a longtime charity partner and offers various forms of support, including scheduled volunteer days for its Team Members.
“Serving at St. Mary’s Food Bank was an amazing experience,” shared Omar McDonald, U-Haul Manager of Credit Administration. “It feels nice to know that what you’re doing is going to help someone out there.”
U-Haul volunteers packed 1,800 emergency food boxes and 1,973 HelloFresh bags over the span of two hours on this hot Saturday morning.
HelloFresh is another St. Mary’s sponsor. The meal-kit company offers ready-to-make meals known for their nutritional value and simple instructions. The bags are an added bonus for families receiving emergency food packages.
A Family Affair
Team Members had the option to bring their family members to the volunteer opportunity.
“My experience was the best one yet because I was able to bring my family and have them participate alongside U-Haul to help feed families,” said Yarlin Quintana, U-Haul Retail Sales Assistant. “It’s nice to come together and work as a team. I always look forward to volunteering at St. Mary’s.”
Team Members worked on a fast-moving assembly line to package canned goods, vegetables and snacks. In total, U-Haul helped package 22,000 meals for those in need. St. Mary’s distributes the packages to various communities throughout the state.
“I had a wonderful time interacting with U-Haul Team Members outside of my workspace,” said Maria Hidalgo, U-Haul Financial Wellness Manager. “We are an interesting, spirited, fun and friendly group outside of the office.”
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“It is great that U-Haul provides opportunities for us to give back to those who need it the most,” McDonald added. “I encourage all Team Members to at least try it once.”
Read more about our partnership with St. Mary’s by clicking here.