Self Storage Facilities Become Charitable Destinations During the Holidays

The Holidays have traditionally been a time to be thankful for blessings: good health, food, shelter, family and friends. But unfortunately, even in this great country, many go without some or all of the above.

However, there are many organizations that "give back" throughout the year, and especially during this magical Season of Giving. Whether it is the "Toys for Tots" program, spearheaded by the United States Marine Corps, or the community Food Bank and Urban Ministries, multiple groups of like-minded people join together to help the less fortunate, particularly those involved in the self storage business.

For many years, self storage facilities throughout the country have served not only as community collection sites for toys, winter coats, food and household items, but many also volunteer their locations as "drop-off" sites for the myriad of charitable offerings from their communities. These facilities are ideal for both purposes, because they are purposefully conveniently located to major thoroughfares in cities and towns (making it easy to swing by on the way to or from the office), and they have ample storage capacity, in all sizes, that can be "climatized" and secured every night.

One such facility is Extra Space Self Storage in Venice, Florida. According to Property Manager John Fitzsimmons, his facility has been a proud partner of many years with the "Toys for Tots" program, whose mission is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community. The Marine Corps believes this program can help to "deliver a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens."

Fitzsimmons's facility not only provides his community with a storage unit for all toys collected, but also serves as a donation drop-off location as well. "We promote this program in the community with drive-by signage, letting people know they can drop their toys here, at our facility," Fitzsimmons said.




Winnie Hsiu is a recent college graduate who is passionate about traveling and enjoys the life of a vagabond. She enjoys blogging about her "cheap travels" and the memorabilia she has collected along the way. How and where she stores her things - as a nomad - makes for "fun fodder" on her blog.
Because of her travels self storage is an interest of Winnie's. She recently went looking for self storage in Florida.