Off-Road Industry Steps Up With Hurricane Relief
Ours is an industry not afraid to step up for those in need.
onX Offroad GPS, the leading navigation app for off-road enthusiasts, is partnering with Venture Unknown, a southeastern nonprofit, to bring aid and support to affected communities in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
Venture Unknown has established donation dropoff locations throughout the southeast, which can be found HERE. onX Offroad will be matching up to $10,000 in donations to support the efforts of Venture Unknown, as well as providing free access to the onX Offroad app for one month so users can navigate to the established supply dropoff locations throughout the surrounding areas.
The Venture Unknown teams are collecting supplies, clearing trees and debris to open roads, helping disperse supplies, and assisting with wellness checks for those unaccounted for or without service. Venture Unknown has set up 19 locations for supplies and donations across five neighboring states, which are available in the onX Offroad app. The affected areas are likely to need supplies for the next several weeks.
The following donation items are in high demand:
Indoor Propane Heaters
Propane
Hand Warmers
Sleeping Bags
Battery Banks
Headlamps
Flashlights
Batteries
Generators
Power cords
Surge Protectors
First aid
Blankets
Fuel cans with fuel
Chainsaw chains
2 cycle fuel oil
onX Offroad is offering a free month of its Elite membership tier, enabling full access to the navigation and Waypoint information as well as the ability to see an enhanced map with private and public land information, and recent satellite imagery. The goal is to help support crews and others navigate terrain more safely. Please feel free to share with your friends and family in the Southeast who may need this tool in this time of crisis.
onX Offroad is going to match $10,000 in donations made to the Venture Unknown to support their relief efforts and aiding the victims of Hurricane Helene. If you’re not located in the Southeast, but still want to support relief efforts, you can head over to the Venture Unknown site and donate by simply clicking HERE.
For those who would like to participate in volunteering with the Venture Unknown, you can sign up HERE.
To learn more about onX Offroad’s Hurricane Helene Relief, please click HERE.
This comes hot on the heels of word that The Polaris Foundation has sent five RANGER XD 1500 vehicles to expand the Salvation Army’s Rescue and Relief Fleet to aid recovery efforts in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. The Polaris Foundation has donated vehicles to the Salvation Army’s Rescue and Relief Fleet for more than a decade to aid in various recovery efforts. Crews onsite use Polaris RANGERs to access remote areas, hauling equipment, medical supplies, or meals to survivors and volunteers.
Polaris shares, “Serving our local communities is a foundational component of the Polaris Geared for Good mindset. Whether through vehicle or supply donations or volunteering, our employees, and the broader Polaris family, including our nationwide dealer network, has a long history of taking action.”
In addition to off-road vehicles, Polaris sent more than 200 generators, 200 quarts of oil, and several other supplies directly to North Carolina to support fire stations and more rural mountain communities that continue to be without access to power. These efforts were supported by partners like SpaceX and NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, along with local dealer partner Interstate Cycle in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Other local Polaris dealers are also acting, including Sloan’s Motorcycle-ATV, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, whose employees spearhead donation efforts of money, food and water. Employees will join forces with others to create a group of over 230 vehicles traveling to Gerton, North Carolina, to aid in providing supplies, clearing debris, and providing rescue and relief.
Across the U.S., Polaris is leveraging its internal giving platform, Polaris Gives, to provide employees the opportunity to double their donation through its donation match employee program.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the Honda family of companies in the U.S., Honda is donating $500,000 in needed disaster relief funds to the American Red Cross to support those impacted by Hurricane Helene. The donation will enable the American Red Cross to respond to and help people recover from this disaster across the affected region, which is also the home of Honda manufacturing operations and its associates. North Carolina-based Honda Aircraft is providing HondaJet to transport humanitarian relief aid to the hard-hit areas of the region.
In addition to the corporate disaster recovery donation, Honda and Acura Financial Services are offering payment extensions and lease deferrals to customers impacted by the natural disaster.
Honda is also offering its associates an opportunity to join the hurricane relief effort through its matching fund and volunteer programs. Honda will match eligible donations on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to a maximum of $1,000. Additionally, the company will provide up to $200 in grants to eligible organizations when associates volunteer.