In early September, Dean Stewart received a weather warning of a Category 2 hurricane to make Florida landfall in 72 hours.
Despite seeing clear skies from his Columbus office — and 1,800 miles separating Toyota Material Handling’s North American headquarters from Florida — Stewart prepared a response.
On Sept. 11, Hurricane Sally paved a path of destruction across the Florida panhandle that left thousands without power, water or shelter. Just a few days later, as a result of a unique partnership between Toyota Material Handling and the American Red Cross, Stewart embarked on a two-week deployment to Florida, conducting major damage assessments for the Red Cross.
Stewart, a strategic account executive at TMH and U.S. Army veteran, was one of a few Red Cross volunteers who were able to deploy because of the demands and restrictions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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TMH supported Stewart’s two-week deployment, and a growing group of Toyota associates are now participating in the company’s alliance with the Red Cross, a partnership formally established in 2018.
In 2020, Toyota’s corporate partnership with the American Red Cross has continued. Toyota is supporting the Red Cross through these times of change with a recent capital investment for a new bloodmobile that will be the first-ever mobile collection unit built with COVID-19 safety precautions in mind.
Additionally, Toyota Forklift dealerships in more than 20 disaster-impacted communities across North America have responded with equipment donations, volunteers and material handling expertise within hours of a Red Cross request this year. Recent support includes: California’s Camp Fire; tornado relief in Tennessee; flooding in Indiana and Texas; CARR wildfire; Hurricanes Florence, Michael and Sally; earthquake relief in California and more. Toyota dealers have also provided additional assistance in the form of warehousing efficiency and logistics training, and forklift operator training for Red Cross volunteers.
Beyond disaster relief assistance, TMH and its associates are engaged in a variety of programs that support the Red Cross through corporate giving and a heightened level of volunteerism. Toyota offers their associates 16 hours of paid volunteer time each year, with eight hours specifically earmarked for the Red Cross.
