Toyota Material Handling Staff and Dealers Offer Community Service
Toyota Material Handling and its network of dealers showcased their commitment to improving their local communities during the company’s annual ‘Lift the Community Day.’ Since 2021, Toyota associates have participated in an annual day-long philanthropic event near Toyota’s Columbus, Ind., headquarters. This year the initiative expanded to include participation from Toyota’s dealers, increasing the impact on communities throughout the U.S.
On July 1, 324 Toyota associates completed 2,300 volunteer hours during the event. In addition to the impact on the Columbus community, associates from 10 dealerships and Toyota’s Heavy Duty division participated in their own volunteer efforts, making this a nationwide philanthropic event.
“Participating in ‘Lift the Community Day’ is not only important to our associates, but it is important to upholding Toyota’s core values,” said Tracy Stachniak, Toyota Material Handling vice president of human resources. “Our business has the resources and compassion to be a philanthropic leader and make a significant impact not only in our local community but throughout North America. We were eager to expand this event to dealers and look forward to driving further change throughout our communities.”
Lift the Community Day’ exemplifies Toyota’s founding principle to contribute to society and ‘help people carry the load’ by promoting a compassionate environment, the company said. This year, associates and dealers supported more than 30 local non-profit organizations and programs throughout five Indiana counties and in 11 states across the country. These efforts resulted in an economic impact exceeding $84,685.
Toyota fosters numerous community-focused relationships, including corporate partnerships with the American Red Cross, United Way and Anchor House, an Indiana nonprofit providing housing initiatives, employment resources and nutritional assistance.
“We are incredibly grateful for the unwavering support and dedication of the volunteers from Toyota,” said Grace Kestler, executive director of The Arc of Bartholomew County. “Their commitment to our cause has been invaluable, and their contributions have made a significant impact on our efforts. With their expertise and hard work, they played a crucial role in our renovation project. We deeply appreciate the partnership with Toyota and thank them for being an essential part of our mission to support individuals with disabilities, helping us create a more inclusive and brighter future for our community."
Toyota provides each associate with paid community service hours to volunteer with various organizations. Throughout the year, Toyota sponsors and organizes volunteer activities on and off its campus. In 2023, Toyota associates donated 11,765 hours to support local organizations, contributing to a total economic impact of $745,721.
Learn more about Toyota’s commitment to volunteerism and corporate social responsibility here.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.