St. Louis HELP Keeps on Truckin' - Acquires Second Truck to Pick Up Home Health Equipment Donations

March 27, 2015, St. Louis, Missouri…St. Louis HELP (http://www.stlhelp.org), the non-profit organization that freely loans home health equipment to people who need it, has acquired a second box truck to pick up donations of used home health equipment, thanks to support from the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District.

“It is eight years old, but we love it like a new baby,” says Executive Director Laura Cannon-Singer of the 2007 GMC box truck that St. Louis HELP recently bought to gather used home health equipment donated by people and organizations in metro St. Louis.

“We are very grateful to the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District for support that enabled us to acquire this truck, which is the second box truck in our ‘fleet,’” Cannon-Singer says. “It’s just in time for our Home health Equipment Donation Drive coming up on Saturday, May 2, 2015.”

“In many cases, we are asked to pick up equipment donations at homes or offices, which we will gladly do, even though our warehouse in Olivette accepts equipment donations collected throughout the year,” she says.

“We collect, clean and repair the items before loaning them for free to people and families for as long as they need the equipment.”

“In 2014, we loaned 6,193 items including hospital beds, wheelchairs, scooters, elevated toilet seats, lift chairs, walkers, and other home health equipment that we cleaned and reconditioned.”

“In this way, we divert about 140 tons per year that would otherwise end up in the solid waste stream.”

“We accept donations of nearly every type of home medical equipment in good working condition except oxygen and medications. For information, see our website http://www.stlhelp.org or call 314 567 4700.”

A new, one-minute public service video produced by HEC-TV that showcases St. Louis HELP’s recycling activities can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxddQ6VJcxs.

St. Louis HELP is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization headquartered at a warehouse in the St. Louis suburb of Olivette filled with donated wheelchairs, crutches, canes, beds and other devices available for free loans. The organization is staffed almost entirely by volunteers.

“Our goals for 2015 are to be able to increase the number of people that we serve, sustain or increase the number of collection service hours at our warehouse and in-home collections, engage more volunteers and to divert more used home health equipment from landfills,” Cannon-Singer said.

Call 314 567 4700 or see the website http://www.stlhelp.org.

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