Two Men and a Truck in Norwalk and Port Chester, N.Y., has kept its philanthropic arm active even in the hardest of times and now its positive disposition has been rewarded with a call from the television program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
The moving company, a franchise operation founded in Lansing, Mich., recently provided moving services to the family selected for the popular ABC television program, which surprises families, often in dire circumstances, with free home construction.
According to Fred Shaw, operations manager of Two Men and a Truck, the company has found it is good business to continue to give back even though the moving market followed the housing market into an unprecedented slump, the trough of which his company found in July 2009.
“We”™re seeing a bit of light this year,” said Shaw. “These programs, some at Christmas, others spread through the year and some recently added, really aren”™t a strain; they keep us going.”
The company donates labor and trucks to the Kids in Crisis triathlon event in Greenwich every June and uses reply-card donations attached to every order receipt for the Kids in Crisis Dinners for Kids, and Dining with Dignitaries programs.
The movers can also be found providing labor and transport across the New York-Connecticut border to the likes of St. Luke’s Life Works”™Â Christmas gift drive and tag sales; Bread of Heaven Church; Moves for Moms”™ Mothers Day program; and the Carver Center.
“It is completely part of our culture here,” said Steve Viggiano, owner of the Norwalk and Port Chester locations. “When ”˜Extreme Makeover”™ called, we jumped at the opportunity to help. Several other offices in the TMT network have participated in the show. Giving back is something we try to do as often as we can.”
According to Marc Viggiano, principal and general manager of the company (and Steve”™s brother), finding out what kind of use you can be to a nonprofit is an important step.
“We can give our services and it”™s something they”™re going to need,” said Marc. “There are lots of ways to give back. Sometimes it”™s probably better to write a check, but you can bet these organizations are going to know what they need if you”™re willing to give. With Extreme Makeover they know we will work with them, that”™s what they needed from us.
The episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” focuses on the Lutz family of Long Island and will air in the fall of this year. The Lutz”™s are a family of 18 adopted children, seven with Down syndrome, in which the eldest cares for the rest after the parents died.
“If you look at what the show is trying to do, it”™s really in alignment with what we”™re trying to do in everyday business,” said Marc. “We”™re trying to help families get from ”˜A”™ to ”˜B”™ on a regular basis. It”™s about giving people a better life and taking a little pressure off.”
Marc said though the show looks like a tight set, based solely on a single property, it typically takes over an entire neighborhood.
“There”™s a lot of moving parts and they need people who were patient and can work with them,” said Marc. “Our movers donated their time, they knew the show, what it is about and they wanted to do it.”
Taking some responsibility upon himself, Marc asked Twig Antiques, a store in Rye, N.Y., operated by Lory Gambrill that raises money for charities, if it would pick up the cost for storing the makeover family”™s furniture during construction. Gambrill agreed. TMT has been helping Twig Antiques, which is part of the Westchester-based Twig charitable network celebrating its 100th year in 2011, by donating its trucks and movers to pick up items for sale at Twig to benefit charities.
