Service in our Jacksonville community

2023 MOVER FOR MOMS KICKOFF

Our 2023 MOVERS FOR MOMS collection drive has begun! It’s a National Two Men And A Truck collection drive where we collect essential care items for women and children affected by domestic abuse and staying at Hubbard House in Jacksonville, Betty Griffin Center in St. Augustine, and Quigley House in Clay County.

Where can donations be made?

• TWO MEN AND A TRUCK,  9450 Philips Hwy Ste 1, Jacksonville, FL 32256
• Atlantic Self Storage (54 locations) https://www.atlanticselfstorage.com/
• Exit 1 Stop Realty, 13529 Beach Blvd. Suite 307 A, Jacksonville, FL, United States, Florida

What types of donations are being collected?

• Care items: such as soap and shampoo (full size), toothpaste, deodorant, razors, makeup, and other essential care items.
• Grocery items: such as non-perishable food and gift cards.
• Baby items: such as diapers and formula.
• Kids socks/underwear (new)
• Linens: such as twin XL sheets and towels.
• Office Supplies: such as paper, pens, pencils, and notebooks.
• Cleaning Supplies: household supplies and paper products.

What shelters/organizations are the donations going to? Why did you choose to partner with these shelters?

Hubbard House, Jacksonville

Betty Griffin Center, St. Augustine

Quigley House, Clay County

We have worked with these shelters for several years and have seen firsthand their success in helping survivors of domestic violence navigate through their life-changing traumas to living fulfilling lives on their terms.

How many donations were collected last year? How many donations are you aiming to collect this year?

• Our goal in 2022 was to collect 25,000 items to celebrate our 25th anniversary in the First Coast region.  We were blessed to collect over 28,000 items thanks to our community and collection partners!  This year we hope to collect as many items as last year to support our shelters.

When can the community expect to find out how many items were donated?

• We will be busy picking up and sorting donations the week of April 24th and will have a final count by May 1st

Anything else you would like to share about this initiative?

• One of our core values at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is giving back to the community.  The Movers for Moms collection drive is our way to help support these brave survivors and their children. The more donations we receive, the more these shelters can focus on helping them get back on their feet through counseling, legal and housing assistance.
• We are excited to have five St. John County schools participating in our collection drive this year.  Pacetti Bay Middle School, Freedom Crossing Academy, Palm Valley Academy, Switzerland Point Middle School, Valley Ridge Academy, and Fruit Cove Middle School.
• St.Johns County Scouts Pack 111 and Boy Scout Troop 474 chose our Movers for Moms collection drive as their spring service project

MOVERS FOR MOMS® COLLEcts Over 28,000 personal care items  and food for local women's shelters

2022 marks the fifteenth year for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® collection drive. Each year franchise locations across the United States collect items of need for local women’s and family shelters for delivery on Mother’s Day.

Betty Griffin Center gratefully accepted their MOVERS FOR MOMS® donations

Mother’s Day should be a joyous occasion for mothers and their families. Unfortunately for some women, that’s not always the case. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is hoping to change that with our program called MOVERS FOR MOMS® — a collection of creature comfort items and essential need items. In the Spring of 2021, the program collected more than 232,000 essential care items for women in hundreds of shelters across the nation, and over 21,000 items here locally.

2022 also marks the 25th anniversary of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® moving families and businesses in the First Coast region. With that milestone in mind, we put a collection goal of 25,000 items for these brave women and children affected by domestic violence.  

Our storage partner, Atlantic Self Storage, collected nearly 5,000 items for MOVERS FOR MOMS®

The shelters we supported in 2022 included Hubbard House in Jacksonville, Betty Griffin Center and Alpha-Omega Miracle Home in St. Augustine, and Quigley House in Green Cove Springs.  To help us reach this aggressive goal we enlisted our Corporate Partners, local schools, Professional Organizations as well as countless individuals wanting to make a difference in someone’s life.

We kicked off this year’s campaign at the beautiful Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in early April and finished our pick-up of items in early May. One of our corporate partners, Winn-Dixie did a corporate match of items collected that made the event that much more successful.

Jacksonville Zoo And Gardens hosted the kickoff to our Movers for Moms collection drive

Once we completed the collection drive and after the dust had settled, the final item was counted, we surpassed our goal of 25,000 items with a grand total of 28,048 items collected!

Atlantic Self-Storage came through with over 5,000 collected throughout their 50 locations scattered throughout the First Coast.

The Women’s Council of Realtors, Jacksonville chapter also came through with a large donation as well.

The Women’s Council of Realtors, Jacksonville chapter, tripled their donations this year!

Both Atlantic Self Storage and the Women’s Council of Realtors have been long-time supporters of our Movers for Moms® collection drive and we want to thank them both for their continued support.

Exit 1 Stop Realty and its associates jumped on board for the first time this year and truly came through nearly filling up a van’s worth of items. This is a generous group of people led by Walter and Jan Collins and Valerie Womble. We were fortunate to have their support, as they do so much to give back to the community, they work and live in.

We couldn’t have reached our goal if we didn’t have the help of both St. County Schools and Duvall County Schools! Although this was the first year for Duval to jump in, St’ Johns County Schools have been a partner for a few years. We would particularly like to call out Stacey Dobbins and her wonderful students at Freedom Crossing Academy! Not only did they collect thousands of items, but she also made the topic of domestic abuse part of her curriculum during the time of the collection drive. Hats off to Stacey- what a way to inspire your students on the importance of giving back to the community!!

MOVERS FOR MOMS® became a service project for St. Johns County Cub Scout Troop 111

Another heartwarming effort was put in by Cub Scout Troop 111 of the Northeast Florida Boy Scouts and their Cubmaster, Raquel McAlee. This became a service project for the Cub Scouts and they delivered big time. How uplifting it is to see young people in action of support of those less fortunate.

Valley Ridge Academy students handmade Mother’s Day Cards for women in shelter

We had many takeaways from this year’s campaign, and we can’t begin to express our appreciation for the Companies and Organizations listed above for their support. But, in the end, we also have to recognize and express our admiration for the people who are a part of the 4 shelters that benefited from all these donations. These people are at ground zero every day providing support, compassion, and safety for those in need.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK locations partner with local businesses, schools, and other organizations to collect essential care items, such as soap, shampoo and diapers for women and their children staying in domestic abuse or homeless shelters. Once all donations are collected, our move teams pick up and deliver the items on or around Mother’s Day.

INVESTING IN MOMS EVERYWHERE

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has a strong influence from women in various roles, and this is our way of showing appreciation for the efforts of all moms. In 2019, we were able to collect and donate over 383,000 items to local shelters supporting women!

2021 MOVERS FOR MOMS COLLECTION DRIVE A HUGE SUCCESS

We were thrilled with the results of our 2021 Movers for Moms® drive collecting over 21,000 personal care items for women affected by domestic abuse.  These care items, along with a personal bag for each survivor filled with makeup, perfume, skin, and hair accessories, were delivered to Hubbard House and Betty Griffin Center just in time for Mother's Day!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Jacksonville and St. Augustine were proud to partner with Jet Home Loans, Atlantic Self Storage, and Women’s Council of Realtors Jacksonville for its 11th annual Movers for Moms® collection drive. Our collection drive which ran from April to May collected essential care items to support local women of domestic abuse at Hubbard House and Betty Griffin Center by collecting collect diapers, toiletry/personal care items, and grocery items with the goal of making these moms feel special on Mother’s Day.  

Watch Hubbard House's CEO Dr. Gail Patin who talked with Action News Jax about survivor moms in the shelter, shelter needs, and why the MOVERS FOR MOMS® collection drive is so important.

Watch  Pete Ruffing, franchisee, with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® on WJXTV/News4Jax on discuss necessities needed for domestic abuse survivors and their children 

Watch Brenda Ruffing, Director of Marketing, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, to learn what drives her to support surviving moms and their children affected by domestic abuse and living at Hubbard House, Inc. in Jacksonville and Betty Griffin Center in St. Augustine.

In addition, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® and Winn-Dixie jointly contributed over 1400 lbs. of food which provided over 1200 meals for women and children at the shelter. 

A special thank you to these St. Johns County Schools for also participating in our drive- Pacetti Bay Middle School student council, Liberty Pines Academy National Junior Honors Society, and Switzerland Point Middle School, for their student collection drive

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® are proud to have created a partnership with Winn-Dixie to support our monthly MOVERS FOR MEALS® initiative. To date, over 35,000 pounds of food have been donated to the local food pantries and shelters which have provided nearly 28,000 meals to families in the First Coast region facing food insecurity.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® kicked off their Movers for Meals® initiative in April of 2021 at the Clay County Fair to support The Pantry at Green Cove Springs.  

2022 monthly recipients

OCTOBER- HELPING HOMELAND HEROES. We are honored to select the Veterans Council of St. Johns County as our October MOVERS FOR MEALS® recipient. Our food donation was given to the homeless veterans during the Veteran’s Council's annual Saint Johns County Homeless Stand Down event at the Elks Lodge #829 on Saturday, October 8th.  We combined our Movers for Meals food donation and delivered donations to these brave men and women who have served our country. A special thanks to our MOVERS FOR MEALS® partner, Winn-Dixie, for donating gift cards for each homeless veteran.

AUGUST- TWO MEN AND A TRUCK chose Jim Dotson Foundation Inc. in Jacksonville as their August Movers for Meals® recipient.  Jo Cheeser, President of the foundation, reached out when she heard about our MOVERS FOR MEALS® initiative.  It was an easy choice for us to choose this amazing team who work tirelessly to help those facing food insecurity.  The foundation was founded in 2018 by Jim Dotson, James Lenhart, and George Teigland to provide food and clothing to their Arlington neighbors in need.  Dotson was 83 when he passed away last May. Chesser, Dotson's daughter, said their family established the foundation in his memory to continue his legacy of helping others. The foundation serves 300 families each pantry day (2nd and 4th Saturday of each month) and also serves a hot breakfast for those waiting in line to get much-needed food for their families. They serve retirees living on Social Security or other limited incomes, working mothers with babies or toddlers, disabled veterans, and people struggling because of illness, loss of a job, or the passing of a spouse.

Through their Pancake Ladies Ministry, they serve an amazing breakfast including pancakes, a bagel station, grits, sausage gravy, and biscuits, as well as conversation, time, and in many cases just lending an ear over coffee. This Jacksonville-based group in Arlington has made it a mission to feed, clothe and help neighbors and strangers experiencing hard times. 

For more information about the Jim Dotson Foundation, or if you are needing assistance, call them at (904) 254-3099 or https://jimdotsonfoundation.com. 

 JULY- TWO MEN AND A TRUCK chose Giving Hearts Ministry Food Pantry in Jacksonville as their July MOVERS FOR MEALS® recipient.  Victory Celebration Church is a delightful little church with BIG HEARTS and BIG PLANS to help fight food insecurity in Jacksonville. Through their Giving Hearts Ministry Food Pantry, these hard-working folks help feed close to 150 people a month. Wanda, Director of Giving Hearts Ministry Food Pantry and Outreach Program, reached out to learn more about our MOVERS FOR MEALS® program and we were happy to support their efforts.

JUNE-TWO MEN AND A TRUCK chose Spirit of Life Lutheran Church food pantry in Jacksonville as their June MOVERS FOR MEALS® recipient.  Gary and Jo Strysick have a passion for feeding the hungry. They have managed the food pantry at their church for a number of years and noticed that donations have dropped and the number of clients in need has increased. Jo reached out to learn more about our MOVERS FOR MEALS® program and we were happy to support their efforts.  They go the extra mile by canning fruits and vegetables to avoid food waste.

MAY- TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and Winn-Dixie jointly contributed over 1400 lbs. of food which provided over 1200 meals for women and children at Hubbard House, Betty Griffin Center, Quigley House, and Alpha Omega Miracle Home.

APRIL-Surprising our friends at The Food Pantry of Green Cove Springs with two SUVs full of food with our monthly MOVERS FOR MEALS® donation during their annual Jack Graves Memorial Food Drive- PRICELESS  Since 1989, The Food Pantry of Green Cove Springs has been providing Clay County with emergency food for families and individuals in need. They rely on food drives from local organizations to stock our shelves and donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals in the community. The Food Pantry is an all volunteer organization which allows your donations to go directly to feeding the hungry and supporting our mission in Clay County.  For more information on how you can help the food pantry visit their website http://foodpantryofgreencovesprings.org or contact them at  foodpantryofgcs@gmail.com.

MARCH-TWO MEN AND A TRUCK chose Homeless Coalition St Johns County as their March MOVERS FOR MEALS® recipient.  The Homeless Coaltion provides innovative programs to assist the most chronic homeless families with children in Florida’s St. Johns County to get off the street and on the road to self-sufficiency. The Homeless Coalition provides a supportive services that benefit the surrounding West Augustine community. Many of the people living in the area are homeless and poverty stricken.  ESHC determined that one of the most pressing needs was housing for homeless children and their single parents. Because no other agency or organization would do so, the Coalition took the lead and in 1999 purchased our first transitional shelter. In 2001, the Coalition purchased 12 houses on Chapin St. and in 2004 purchased three (3) houses on Nesbit Ave, and in 2009 built four (4) houses on Smith St. ESHC currently has 20 homes. An average of 14 families move to permanent housing each year.  To learn more about E.S.H.C services visit their website https://homelesscoalitionstjohns.com/

FEBRUARY- TWO MEN AND A TRUCK chose Lutheran Social Services as their February MOVERS FOR MEALS® recipient after seeing their SOS for food donations on their Facebook page.  TWO MEN AND A TRUCK donated 2,000 pounds of food which is nearly 1,700 meals for families facing food insecurity in the #firstcoast region.

JANUARY- Mandarin Food Bank.  The volunteers at the Mandarin Food Bank were mighty happy when we began unloading much-needed food supplies.  The Mandarin Food Bank's mission is to provide emergency food and clothing to those in need in the Mandarin Community. They are a ministry run entirely by volunteers.  Did you know the Mandarin Food Bank also supports the local community through their Clothes Closet? If you're looking for a way to help others donating gently used clothes and shoes would be greatly appreciated!

2021 monthly recipients

APRIL- The Pantry at Green Cove Springs, Clay County. MOVERS FOR MEALS® "Stuff the Truck Event" a Huge Success!  We are thrilled at the results of our first food drive at the Clay County Fair collecting nearly 3,500 pounds of food for The Food Pantry of Green Cove Springs in #claycounty.  We couldn’t have done it without our partners at Winn-Dixie who generously matched our $1,000 food donation! Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who contributed in the spirit of unselfish giving! 

MAY BEAM, Duval County.  We are so happy with our supporters' kindness during our second TWO MEN AND A TRUCK "Stuff the Truck" event to support BEAM for our monthly MOVERS FOR MEALS® campaign. A special thank you to our partners Winn-Dixie for matching our $1,000 food donation and Mid-America Marketing for their $500 food donation!  In just four hours, nearly 2500 pounds of food was donated!  That's nearly 2,100 meals provided for Jacksonville families facing food insecurity.

MAY-Hubbard House, Duval County. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and Winn-Dixie jointly contributed over 1400 lbs. of food which will provide over 1200 meals for women and children at the shelter.

JUNE-Our Lady of Good Council Food Pantry, St. Johns County.  Our Lady of Good Counsel's Food Pantry in StJohnsCountyFlorida was the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®'s June recipient for our monthly MOVERS FOR MEALS® campaign. The Church’s food pantry opened its doors in Oct 2013 to serve seven families. Through their amazing efforts, they currently serve 60 to 70 families a month with non-perishables, fresh produce (from their garden), frozen meat, bread, pastries and more.

JULY-Quigley House, Clay County. Quigley House provides safe shelter to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Clay County Area of Northeast Florida. They even provide shelter for victim’s pets Learn how you can help survivors at https://www.quigleyhouse.org/get-involved

AUGUST-HerSPACE, Northeast Florida Women Veterans, Duval County. HerSPACE provides temporary housing for women veterans and their children in Jacksonville Beach.

“The Lighthouse,” a 4-bedroom, 3,000 square foot house in Jacksonville Beach, will be a temporary home for up to eight women veterans and their children. During their stay, they will be given guidance by Northeast Florida Women Veterans, which operates as a resource center for women veterans, to help get them back on their feet and into long-term housing.  Learn how you can help women veterans and their children at https://www.forwomenvets.org

SEPTEMBER-Catholic Charities of St. Augustine's, Weekend Hunger Backpack Program, St. Johns County.  We love supporting our community-especially when it involves local children's needs. 

The Weekend Hunger Backpack Program addresses local food insecurity among children in a unique way inside the classroom. Over 170 kids received food assistance throughout the school year as part of this program. Each week, students discreetly receive a bag filled with nutritious kid-friendly food to take home. This ensures that they have meals and snacks to eat over the weekend when school lunches are unavailable. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK donated over $1,000 in nutritious food for these children facing food insecurity. Children should never go hungry. To get help or donate to this program visit https://www.ccbstaug.org/weekend-hunger-backpack 

OCTOBER-UCOM Jax was TWO MEN AND A TRUCK's MOVERS FOR MEALS® October's recipient

We delivered much-needed food supplies for UCOM Jax's food pantry and Meals on Wheels program. UCOM UrbanServ Inc has been committed to fighting food insecurity and poverty in Jacksonville since 1979 so that no one faces hunger or crisis alone. Learn how you can help http://www.ucomjax.org/get-involved.html.

NOVEMBER-Pie In The Sky of St. Johns County is our MOVERS FOR MEALSⓇ November recipient.  “Our pantry bags for 450 low-income seniors in St Johns County will be full for Thanksgiving thanks to TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and Winn-Dixie”, Phyllis

Wood, program Manager, Pie In The Sky.  Stay tuned for some special updates for these special seniors

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is proud to partner with the American Cancer Society by donating 10 cents of every move nationwide to help support this great organization’s effort. Since 2000, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® has donated over a half a million dollars in the help to fight cancer.

The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. Until they do, they will be funding and conducting research, sharing expert information, supporting patients, and spreading the word about prevention. All so you can live longer — and better.

St. Johns County’s Betty Griffin Center’s free programs and services include a shelter, transitional housing rape care unit/sexual assault recovery services, counseling and support groups, court advocacy and legal assistance, community education, and two thrift stores that provide a portion of funding.  Last year Betty Griffin’s 24-hour hotline calls totaled 1,500, with services being provided to 2,000 survivors and their children.

“Movers for Moms® is recognizing Mothers for the immeasurable contribution they make every day to the world.  Without the communities’ support, a special day for survivors would not be possible.  It is community members who make a difference in the lives of survivors by showing their support for life-changing services.” – Joyce Mahr, CEO, Betty Griffin Center.

In 2019, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® collected and donated over 18,000 items to the mothers in need for Movers for Moms®.

Like so many things affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, our annual Movers for Moms® campaign was forced to take a step back as community gatherings were halted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We made a strong comeback in our 2021 Movers for Moms® drive collecting over 21,000 personal care items for women affected by domestic abuse.

Each year, Hubbard House serves more than 4,000 domestic violence victims — adults and children — and receives generous support from the community. Nearly half of its support comes from caring and concerned individuals and organizations. This demonstrates that people trust the agency and its promise: Donated dollars are carefully managed and stay local, helping victims and their children. In all ways, the community embraces the agency's mission, “safety, empowerment and social change for victims of domestic violence.”

“When survivors of domestic violence flee for the safety of the Hubbard House shelter, they often come with few belongings and limited financial resources. So, while they are with us working toward safety and financial self-sufficiency, Hubbard House provides everything they and their children need,” explained CEO Dr. Gail A. Patin. “This is what makes the Movers for Moms® initiative so important! It allows our partners -- members of the community -- to provide tangible support for survivors while simultaneously communicating caring to those in need and allowing the agency to allocate more resources toward survivor services.”

In 2019, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® collected and donated over 18,000 items to the mothers in need for Movers for Moms®.  Like so many things affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, our annual Movers for Moms® campaign was forced to take a step back as community gatherings were halted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.  We made a strong comeback in our 2021 Movers for Moms® drive collecting over 21,000 personal care items for women affected by domestic abuse.  In addition, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and Winn-Dixie jointly contributed over 1400 lbs. of food which will provide over 1200 meals for women and children at Hubbard House.

We are proud to be a partner with the North Florida Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and their “One Walk” at Metropolitan Park in downtown Jacksonville. Truckie was on hand to cheer on the many walking groups who raised money for this important research.

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF’s goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until they achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners, and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure T1D.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® was there with the Salvation Army of Northeast Florida when the call came to help the victims of Hurricane Irma. The generous people of the First Coast region really showed up and helped fill multiple trucks with relief supplies so desperately needed by the hurricane’s victims.

The Salvation Army is an international movement and through their broad range of services, it touches the lives of one out of every eight people in Northeast Florida.

Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research.

We are proud to help the Alzheimer's Association, Central & North Florida Chapter with their walk in downtown Jacksonville each November. Look for Truckie and all the walkers this Saturday, November 3, for another great event!