TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®  St. Louis/Collinsville are kicking off their 2nd annual TRUCK LOAD OF WARMTH September 17th . The Truckload of Warmth is a warm clothing collection organized by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®. Donations willl be brought to Operation Homefront, supporting military families in need.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is a proud sponsor of Parties in the Park! Each month we help with the set up and tear down of Parties in the Park in Clayton. Come join us for future events and enjoy live music and great food and drinks!

Upcoming Parties in the Park:

• July 11
• August 8
• September 12

Our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® St. Louis stores proudly collected 3,188 Mother's Day donations for the Women's Safe House this month as part of the Movers for Moms program. This was the first year we participated in the program and we were grateful to have generous community collection partners including Conway Elementary in St. Louis; Holy Cross Lutheran School in Collinsville, Ill.; and 26 KinderCare locations throughout bi-state St. Louis.

The goal of the Movers for Moms campaign was to make Mother's Day a bit brighter for local women staying in shelters. During the month-long campaign, we collected Mother's Day gifts ranging from simple toiletries to special items like perfume, slippers and robes. We created one gift box for each woman at the Safe House and delivered them to the shelter for Mother's Day. All additional items will be used by the Shelter throughout the year.

Thanks to everyone in our community who helped us make this program a success!

Last week at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® St. Louis we unveiled our new 5000 sq. ft. training facility, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Fenton and Crestwood-Sunset Hills Chambers of Commerce. More than 50 local business and government representatives toured the facility and networked at the event.

The training facility includes a classroom and a hands-on training area complete with home and office furniture. Trainers use the space to teach new movers to handle all types of furniture and appliances, including challenging pieces like a baby grand piano and office cubicles. Our movers undergo several days of training before they perform customer moves.

“We’re very proud of this training facility because it shows our commitment to our customers and the safety of their belongings,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Owner John Judson. “Every customer, whether moving a home or business, wants to know their belongings will be handled with care by professionals. This facility helps us to deliver our highest level of service.”

Take it from our customers! Here's what a real customer had to say about TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® and her recent move.

Both of our Metro St. Louis offices were recognized this month at the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® annual conference in Dallas for dedication to the community and overall excellence.

Our St. Louis office received the Humanitarian Award, which goes to the franchise that performs the most hours of charity work in their community. Franchises must meet stringent customer service standards in order to be eligible for this award. 

Of more than 200 TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® locations in the United States, only one Humanitarian Award is given each year.

Our Metro St. Louis TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® office in Collinsville, Ill. was also one of 14 franchises recognized with the Achievement in Excellence Award. This award represents exceptionally high performance standards in customer service, operational excellence, learning and growth, system involvement and commitment to the community.

Great job to the staff and crews at both offices! Everyone plays a part in reaching these accomplishments.

Last week we participated in the St. Louis Home and Garden Show. Visitors stopped by the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® St. Louis booth for moving tips, general information and packing demos. We shared the following packing tips with visitors:

- Do not over pack boxes: the heavier the item, the smaller the box.

- Start packing items you do not need in advance of your move.

- Personally transport all important legal documents, valuables and family medical records.

- By law, a moving company cannot transport hazardous materials such as gasoline and other flammables, firearms, ammunition and explosives, cleaning fluids, drugs and detergents. Make plans for moving these materials.

- Avoid mixing items from different rooms in the same box.

- List the contents on the top and sides of all boxes.

- Pack a box of essential things that you need immediately at your new home. Make sure it is the last box loaded on the truck so that it is immediately accessible at your new home.

- Pack and unpack breakables over a padded surface to help minimize the chance of breakage.

- Wrap lampshades and fine china in bubble wrap. Do not wrap them in newspaper because the ink can cause permanent staining.

- Always tape boxes (rather than interlocking the flaps) with packing tape. Duct tape does not adhere to corrugated cardboard.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® St. Louis is proud to launch the 2012 Movers for Moms campaign at the Sunset Hills, Mo. and Collinsville, Ill. stores! Movers for Moms is a community collection drive organized by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®. We are collecting small gifts for women staying at the Women's Safe House in St. Louis and delivering the donations on Mother's Day. The purpose of Movers for Moms is to make Mother's Day a bit more special for local women in need.

Suggested donations include personal care products, like shampoo, conditioner and body lotion, and special comfort items like slippers, makeup and manicure sets. We ask that all items are new. Contact our office with any questions!

This customer moved with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK St. Louis four times! Thanks for your feedback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4KfuDwkufQ&context=C3592191ADOEgsToPDskJd7PZN1iGzrlXn8pB52iHK

We are proud to announce that TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®/St. Louis assisted non-profit organizations and families in need by providing 1253 hours in donated moves in 2011. This in-kind donation equates to more than $64,000 worth of moving services between the our two St. Louis area stores located in Sunset Hills, Mo. and Collinsville, Ill.   

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® was founded on the principles of integrity, compassion, giving back to the community and treating everyone the way you would want your Grandma to be treated. These principles are a central focus of everything we do, and we look forward to another great year of giving back.  

In 2011 we donated moving services to support a variety of local organizations and charitable endeavors including Basket of Hope, Helping Hand-Me-Downs and the Family Resource Center. Our larger charitable projects included transporting thousands of gifts to local children in need for the St. Louis Toys for Tots campaign and organizing Truckload of Warmth, a warm clothing drive that benefitted families of veterans and service members served by Operation Homefront.

We excited to launch our new St. Louis Movers and Shakers Blog! We'll use this new platform to provide company updates and helpful moving and packing tips. Check back often!