Charity Storage & Kure-it Cancer Research:

We spend most of our time on the hard metrics, revenue, occupancy, delinquency, auctions, NOI.

All important.
All necessary.

But every once in a while, there’s a part of this business that actually feels rewarding in a way that goes beyond numbers.

For me, Charity Storage has always been one of those things.

I’ve had the chance over the years to support and advocate for Charity Storage, and what always stood out to me was how thoughtfully it was run.

Abandoned and donated goods weren’t just cleared out and forgotten, they were handled cleanly, respectfully, and with intention, turning what could have been waste into real funding for Kure It Cancer Research.

That matters.

Cancer has touched just about everyone in some way. Being able to take something routine in our industry, auctions, and turn it into something that actually helps move the needle for research is rare. It’s easy to say “this is just how storage works.” It’s harder to design systems that do some good while still being operationally sound.

What I appreciated most was that it never felt performative. It was just solid execution, done the right way, for the right reason. And that’s something I’ve continued to respect and support long after my direct involvement ended.

We don’t always get to choose the messes we clean up in this industry. But sometimes, we get to choose what good comes out of them.

Programs like Charity Storage are worth spotlighting, not because they’re flashy, but because they quietly prove that how we operate still matters.