Global Soap Project and Penske Truck Rental Work Together to Help Developing Nations
READING, Pa., Dec. 2, 2011 - Penske Truck Rental today assisted in the delivery of 7,000 pounds of soap that will be recycled by the Global Soap Project, to support the Atlanta-based non-profit's mission of distributing refined soap to developing countries.
A 26-foot yellow Penske truck arrived this morning at the Global Soap Project headquarters in Norcross, Ga. The soap will be reprocessed into new bars using custom machinery. Garth Peterson, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing association and his wife, Jill, drove over 1,100 miles to deliver soap collected from hotels in the Twin Cities area and from North Dakota and South Dakota.
Derreck Kayongo, chairman and founder of Global Soap Project, stated: "This is the third shipment that Penske Truck Rental has graciously supported. Their corporate support will allow us to produce 84,000 bars of soap which will serve five families with lifesaving soap for a year. Plus, it will remove a significant waste from the environment."
According to Global Soap Project, there are in excess of 4.6 million hotel rooms in the U.S., and there are an estimated 2.6-million bars of soap discarded daily. In developing countries, GSP notes that there are high mortality rates, caused by acute respiratory and diarrheal diseases, most prevalent in children under 5. There are a number of scientific studies that point to hand washing with soap as a significant reducer of these risks.
"We're very pleased to support this project again, said Don Mikes, Vice President of Rental at Penske. "Their mission of aiding underdeveloped nations to become safer and healthier is admirable."
Penske Truck Rental is a division of Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. With one of the newest fleets, Penske Truck Rental provides do-it-yourself movers with clean, well-maintained and reliable trucks as well as moving equipment, packing supplies and accessories.
Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pa., is a joint venture of Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and General Electric. A leading global transportation services provider, Penske operates more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, used truck sales, transportation and warehousing management and supply chain management solutions. To learn more about Penske's products and services please visit www.GoPenske.com and our "Move Ahead" blog.