Donations are the backbone of what we do at Community Forklift and Andrew and Oscar have an important role in bringing them to the reuse warehouse. The Truck Team picks up donations that include materials from deconstruction projects, large volumes of materials, or materials that are in high demand in the communities we serve. Andrew, who drives and loads the truck, and Oscar, who navigates and packs the truck, make sure that those materials arrive at the warehouse safely.
There have been many memorable donation pickups, but one in particular sticks out in Oscar’s mind. “There was one job that was very difficult in southwest Washington, DC, for a 90-year-old woman,” Oscar says. “There were more than 4 full truck-loads and we worked very hard. But in the end it was worth it because the lady was so grateful.”
Andrew and Oscar also make deliveries on occasion for Community Forklift’s Home Essentials Program, which provides free materials for households with limited incomes. Andrew remembers one of these deliveries: “In the summer of 2019 we delivered a refrigerator to a 92-year-old lady in southeast Washington, DC. The temperature was 98 degrees. When we plugged it in, she said ‘Thank you, my fridge has been broken for 9 months. I can finally drink some cold water.'”
In addition to the memorable pickups and deliveries, Oscar likes learning new things on the job and teaching people how important it is to reuse materials. Andrew appreciates the communities they visit and working for an organization that cares about their employees. In their free time, both enjoy spending time with their families.
If you haven’t already, you can meet Andrew and Oscar the next time you schedule a pickup of materials from your home or job site! Visit our website for donation guidelines and to submit a donation pickup request form.
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Every time you donate or shop at Community Forklift, you’re helping us lift up local communities through reuse. We turn the construction waste stream into a resource stream for communities in the DC region – by keeping perfectly good items out of the landfill, preserving historical materials, providing low-cost building supplies, and creating local green jobs.
