Apex Tool Group LLC has donated $220,000 in tools, as well as the use of a warehouse in Garland, Texas, to help stage and sort donations for hurricane victims.
The tool company is donating tools from its GearWrench, Crescent, Wiss, and Lufkin brands to help rebuild communities impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Plus, the parent company has donated the use of a 350,000 square-foot warehouse for two months — valued at $120,000 — to Trusted World, a disaster relief nonprofit organization. It u will use the space to manage donations from around the country for Hurricane Harvey victims. The tools were shipped from the company’s Apex, N. C., distribution center to the Houston Community ToolBank, a nonprofit that is an affiliate of ToolBank USA.
“Our associates as well as our businesses are committed to building today’s communities, building tomorrow’s skills, and rebuilding in times of need,” says Jim Roberts, CEO of Apex Tool Group. “While our own facilities were not impacted by the devastation of Hurricanes Harvey or Irma, putting our tools and resources in the hands of local nonprofits will help accelerate clean up and restoration efforts. Our donations, combined with the efforts of many volunteers, will help restore these communities as quickly as possible. Our thoughts are with all who have been impacted by these catastrophic events.”
In Houston, as soon as floodwaters receded “thousands of volunteers began using our tool inventory to clean up, repair, and rebuild neighborhoods devastated by Hurricane Harvey,” says Erika Hornsey, executive director of the Houston Community ToolBank. Apex Tool Group’s donation — approximately $110,000 in tools — will “ensure that even more community groups can help residents get back on their feet from the storm’s devastation.”
An equal donation is being sent to Atlanta-based ToolBank USA to help after the devastation of Hurricane Irma. “After natural disasters, we send a semi-trailer of tools and equipment to affected areas. Once on the ground, we spend weeks partnering with local qualified nonprofits and their volunteers,” says ToolBank USA CEO Alan Harrison. “The need in Florida is huge, and this donation will allow us to assist people and communities we might otherwise not reach, but who need help now. We are grateful for Apex Tool Group’s assistance.”
On Sept. 1, Apex Tool Group opened the doors to an unused 350,000 square foot warehouse in Garland, Texas, allowing disaster services nonprofit Trusted World to take over the facility. Michael Garrett, CEO of Trusted World, says “Apex Tool Group donated the use of its space and utilities to give Trusted World one of the largest disaster staging sites in our history, now bustling with hundreds of Dallas-Fort Worth volunteers managing deliveries, inventory, and shipments bound for areas directly hit by Hurricane Harvey.”
For more information, go to www.apextoolgroup.com.
