There are many things that make me proud to live in this great country. But I am never more proud than when I see ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. This could be a community group in Montana mobilizing food and water to aid the victims of a hurricane, it could be a small non-profit lending a hand to a sister organization halfway across the country, or it could be hardworking Americans lending their time and energies to help complete strangers. Whatever the situation, the people of our country are quick to come to the service of others.
Throughout my four years at uShip, I have seen this up close. No matter the cause, we have seen good people mobilize to come to the aid of those in need. When hurricanes Katrina and Ike struck the Gulf coasts of Louisiana and Texas, we were flooded with emails from people trying to find transportation for everything from food and water, to school supplies for children who had to start school in an unfamiliar place. But even on a more day to day basis, we are often asked to help organizations in need of a cost effective method of shipping for a good cause.
At the same time, I read forum posts and receive emails from service providers who want to help. These good men and women offer up their time, their energy and their equipment to help get the job done. I have learned that there are many great people in the transportation industry and, even though rising fuel prices have put pressure on their bottom line, they are still willing and able to help.
While uShip has been able
to facilitate some of these transactions in the past, we have always wanted to find a way to do more. So today, I am pleased to announce the formation of a new category on uShip to help foster the interaction between people who need help finding shipping solutions for non-profits or other charitable shipments with those amazing Transportation Service Providers who are willing to help.
The new program,
Highway to Help, allows individuals and organizations to use the uShip marketplace, free of any fees, to find low cost transportations solutions for all of their charitable shipment needs. It works just like the regular uShip marketplace, except these shipments will be marked with a special designation so that service providers can search for, and identify, groups and individuals who need help.
At the end of the day, it is all about connecting individuals and charitable organizations who are donating goods with Transportation Service Providers who can donate all or some of their services. This program has great potential to do some good, and we look forward to engaging with our community to help it grow.
