Jacksonville-based CSX kicked off the “Hope Tote” campaign with an event on Saturday, Jan. 14 from 9 a.m.–Noon at City Rescue Mission’s McDuff campus. The campaign will provide much needed personal care items for homeless people in Jacksonville.

“CSX recognizes the value in helping others and looks for opportunities to support the communities where our employees live and work. The Hope Tote campaign gives the company and its volunteers an opportunity to help homeless citizens in the Jacksonville area by fulfilling basic everyday needs like toothpaste, lip balm, shoelaces and shaving supplies. We are pleased to kick off the Hope Tote campaign and encourage other community supporters to join the effort to keep City Rescue Mission visitors healthy and safe,” said Tori Kaplan, CSX AVP Corporate Social Responsibility.

Over 30 CSX volunteers in management trainee positions from across the country took part in a leadership development opportunity by outfitting 1,500 plastic bag “Hope Totes.” Each tote was filled with 15 toiletry and personal care items that will then be distributed to the homeless and needy population during the Easter Season. Through their community service, these volunteers had the opportunity to get to know students in the LifeBuilders program at City Rescue Mission and better understand the issue of homelessness and the people it impacts.

The Hope Tote campaign will continue through the winter with opportunities to get the community involved in providing the materials to stuff thousands of additional Hope Totes already on hand and ready to be filled. These will then be passed out to the homeless in addition to the 1,500 from CSX.

City Rescue Mission is a non-profit, faith-based organization in Jacksonville that has provided help to the homeless and needy in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida since 1946. In addition to providing emergency service for the homeless, they offer life-changing programs like New Day Workforce and LifeBulders to help homeless people get off the streets and back on their feet. For more information on City Rescue Mission, visit www.crmjax.org.