2021 Guardian Gives Wrapped
As the year winds down to an end, we want to take a moment to thank everyone who has participated in all of our various charity events throughout the year. We’ve seen two of the most unprecedented years in history, and our neighbors and community members need our support more than ever. You’ve helped us make a difference in the lives of many, and for that, we are so grateful. Below are just a few ways we’ve been able to give back this year. We look forward to continuing our work through our Guardian Gives program next year with all of your support. Thank you again to everyone who made this possible!
2021 Coat & Sock Drive
Through the month of November, all Guardian Storage locations collected coats and socks to donate to various nonprofits and organizations in Pennsylvania and Colorado. With the help of our incredibly generous customers and community members, we were able to collect and deliver 860 coats, 1,380 pairs of socks, and 165 miscellaneous items such as hats, scarves, and gloves to 9 different organizations. In Pennsylvania, your donations helped support Sisters Place, Family Links, Chartiers Center, Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania, Inc. Pittsburgh, and Alle-kiski Area Hope Center Tarentum. In Colorado, your donations supported Comitis Crisis Center, Boulder Shelter for the Homeless – Emergency Shelter, Mile High Behavioral Healthcare, and Salvation Army of Greeley. Again, a massive thank you to everyone who donated – we cannot even begin to describe how grateful each of these organizations was to receive your donations.
Fall 2021 Shred-It Event
Our Fall Shred-It Event provided free, secure paper shredding services for over 700 people. Although our events are free, we do ask participants to donate to our partner organizations, The Education Partnership and Kids in Need Foundation. All donations go directly to these organizations. Our fall event raised $4,000 to help provide essential school supplies to teachers and students in our areas that need them most. Plus, we collected additional school supplies that were donated to both organizations to help supply teachers with everything they need in their classrooms!
Spring 2021 Shred-It Event
Our Spring Shred-It Event was a major success, bringing in over $7,000 in donations for The Education Partnership and Kids in Need Foundation. In addition to monetary donations, we also received around 400 packs of pencils and 20 boxes filled with school supplies that we delivered to the organizations. Thank you for all of your support to help ensure our local children get an equal opportunity for an education!
Chartiers Center Food Drive
In October, our Bridgeville location held a food drive for Mary’s Market, a food pantry that provides emergency access to food for Chartiers Center’s homeless and outpatient patients. Through the generosity of our community members, we were able to provide meals to those in need right before the holiday season.
School Adoptions with The Education Partnership and Kids in Need
In addition to the donations we receive through our Shred-It drives, we also personally adopt five schools in Pennsylvania and Colorado to ensure they have the school supplies they need throughout the year. Our teams in Pennsylvania and Colorado pack homework power toolkits that are then distributed to each student at these schools. These supplies help ensure they have the tools they need at home to complete homework and other projects.
Western PA Conservancy Community Gardens
For the third year in a row, we have supported the planting of four community gardens in Pittsburgh. These gardens provide safe havens for pollinators and bring vibrance to local communities. For more information on our community gardens, check out our blog post.
St. James Ministries Drives & Food Deliveries
Our Parkway East location held multiple drives for St. James Ministries to collect items that were desperately needed, including adult and children’s diapers and baby formula. We have been absolutely blown away by the generosity of our communities in helping to ensure that our neighbors had everything they needed. In addition to the drives, several Guardian team members have donated their time to make home deliveries of essential food to those served through St. James Ministries. Parkway East property manager, Brittany, has spearheaded these efforts and donated her time monthly to help support the community.
United Way Drive
Our Greeley locations teamed up to help support United Way this year. In order to store all collected donations like diapers and other essential items, our Greeley 31st Ave location donated two storage units to the organization. For donation distribution, our Greeley 29th St location used their parking lot to host the event. Thank you to everyone who donated!
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
At the beginning of 2021, our Parkway East location held a food drive for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Through the generosity of our community, we were able to donate over 455 pounds of food to help support our neighbors in need!
Backyard Gardening Festival in Wilkinsburg
Can you tell our Parkway East team was busy this year? They also participated in the Backyard Gardening Festival by handing out carton garden veggie kits. These kits are meant to help with food insecurity and help get the community into sustainable gardening habits.
Pittsburgh CAT & Homeless Cat Management Team
At the beginning of the year, our Strip District location hosted an event through Pittsburgh CAT, an organization dedicated to rescuing stray or abandoned cats and finding them forever homes, to build shelters for cats in need. This winter, we donated space to Homeless Cat Management Team to store and distribute shelters for homeless cats in the Pittsburgh area. As of today, over 150 shelters have been picked up and delivered to help cats survive the cold winter temperatures in Pennsylvania.
JWILL Pink Village
We are proud to support JWILL Pink Village, an organization that provides heart-shaped pillows to those recovering from breast cancer. These pillows provide support to those going through recovery and remind survivors that they are not alone. In October, our Superior property manager, Melissa, participated in a pillow party to help sew and stuff pillows for the organization.
Additional Guardian Gives Initiatives
In addition to these events listed, we also donate storage space throughout the year to local charities and organizations. To name a few, we have donated space to Girl Scouts Troop 5106, Colorado Pet Pantry, Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Bethlehem Haven, It Takes a Village Washington County, UPMC Children’s Hospital, and many others. In addition to donated space, we provide raffle donations to organizations like Ryan’s Wings, Shore Foundation, Norwin Play it Forward, St. Clair Village, and Pittsburgh Soap Box Derby.
It feels so rewarding to look back at the end of the year and see all of the things we’ve done as a company and as a community in just one year. Thank you to everyone who has helped us make a difference this year – we couldn’t do it without you! We look forward to another year of giving with the support of people like you.
