Giving back to veterans in TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® communities with Movers for Military

-Written by Erik Sargent

At TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, we are all about giving back to the people in our community and helping to move people forward in life. This is especially true with our veterans, and we make sure to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country and allow us to do what we do each day.

Each fall, multiple franchises from across the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK system run our Movers for Military campaign, where locations partner with local organizations to help collect and deliver essential care items to homeless veterans and veterans who are currently living in shelters. With a large number of employees throughout our system equipped with a military background, this is a cause that is extremely important to TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, and we try to make a difference for as many people as we can.

“Any time we can help or assist veteran or service members, it is a good thing,” said Jeff Walker, a veteran and franchisee at our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Colorado Springs location. “It is a small way to serve our country.”

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK locations partner with local shelters and veteran organizations and use manpower and trucks to help with the collection and delivery of the items these veterans need.

“Last year was our first year doing Movers for Military, and I had only six collection sites and collected a total of 1,800 items,” said Stefanie Shook, the marketing manager at the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Pasadena location. “This year, I started to get a lot more interest in the program, and was able to expand to 27 donation drop-off locations and collect 6,770 items!”

Shook and the Pasadena location partnered with three different chambers of commerce, a realtor association, a printing company, four different credit unions, five hotels, two YMCAs, three cleaners, a local newspaper, a blood donor center, and a medical hospital to help expand their collection range.

For Eugenia Parlow – the regional sales and marketing manager for multiple TWO MEN AND A TRUCK locations in Florida – they also put a heavy emphasis on Movers for Military, and work hard each year to make an impact on the veterans in Florida. Parlow and her franchises partner with local chambers, radio stations, school ROTCs, universities, banks, golf courses, realtors, and other businesses, and are always looking to add additional business partners.

“We deliver boxes and set them up at collection partner locations, and a wish list is put on each box,” Parlow said. “In addition to the donation drive, we organize an annual golf outing, where 100 percent of the proceeds are given back to a local veteran’s organization.”

It’s a constant effort each year to make sure we are doing all we can to help these veterans who have given so much for this country and put their life on the line for our freedom, and the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK brand is happy to help out.

“These men and women sacrificed so much to give us our freedom, and it is only right that we protect them and help them when they return home,” Shook said. “Los Angeles has the largest population of homeless military veterans in the nation, with an estimated 4,000 homeless veterans living on the streets. Many of these men and women suffer from substance abuse, mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic medical problems. Post-military life can feel overwhelming to many veterans, and they often don’t know where to turn for help. The charity we work with is an amazing resource for our veterans, and we love spreading the word of the wonderful work they do!”

To find out more about how you can get involved and help with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’s Movers for Military campaign visit https://twomenandatruck.com/.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.