The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation is lucky to partner with many amazing companies – many of which our supporters are familiar with including The Home Depot, Carpet One Floor & Home, the New York Jets, and many others. However, there are many companies supporting Tunnel to Towers that fly under the radar – companies so vital to our organization that we could not do what we do without their support. One such company is U-HAUL.
Every September, as many of you know, Tunnel to Towers hosts the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk in New York City. The Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk retraces the final footsteps of 9/11 hero, Firefighter Stephen Siller, from Brooklyn through the Battery Tunnel to the site of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. The event supports our first responders and the men and women of the military who make extraordinary sacrifices in the line of duty.
For the past three years, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation has teamed up with U-HAUL to transport supplies from our base on Staten Island to the starting line in Brooklyn and finish line in Manhattan. And, for each of the past years, U-HAUL has DONATED these trucks!! On average we use five U-HAUL trucks throughout the entire weekend – from Thursday when the trucks are packed through late Sunday when they are unpacked. Five trucks donated for four full days – a remarkably GENEROUS donation! If the Foundation had to rent these trucks it would cost a fortune. U-Haul’s donation makes it possible for Tunnel to Towers to put more of its funds raised into our programs, such as Building for America’s Bravest, and less into administrative costs. This means SO much to a non-profit like the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation!
U-HAUL’s generosity to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation does not stop with the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk. Back in 2012, when Hurricane Sandy devastated our area, U-HAUL was kind enough to donate trucks, once again, to help the Foundation move much needed supplies (water, food, clothing, building supplies, etc) to victims of the storm. This donation of six U-HAUL trucks was made despite the fact that U-HAUL lost most of its trucks in Manhattan as a result of the storm. Ultimately, U-HAUL allowed the Foundation to use the trucks, free of charge, for months! We could not have helped so many people, so quickly, without the use of the U-HAUL trucks.
Thank you, U-HAUL, for extending our partnership beyond the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk. We are incredibly thankful to have U-HAUL as part of the Foundation as a whole, as well as integrated into many of the good works that we do.
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation remains grateful for U-HAUL’s generosity and support and looks forward to continuing our relationship for years to come!
“Let Us Do Good”