in times of crisis ...

Not all traditions are long-standing. Take this column, for instance. Although DC VELOCITY is just now wrapping up its third year of publication, we've already established a tradition of using this space each November to give thanks to the folks in our profession who make the world a better place.

In the past, for example, we've told the story of a DC manager in New Hampshire who works throughout the year to solicit donations of school supplies for financially strapped public schools in the Granite State. We've reported on the tireless efforts of companies like Roadway Express in support of Christina's Smile, a program that makes dental care available to impoverished, inner-city children. We've written about TNT's never-ending support of the fight against world hunger. The list goes on and on.

This year's story, of course, is the truly heartening response from the logistics community to the disaster caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Carriers, 3PLs, consulting firms, trade associations and other companies both large and small rushed to help soften the blow dealt to citizens of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. (See also NewsWorthy, page 13.)

It would take hundreds of pages for us to list all the companies that came to the victims' aid. Instead, we'll concentrate here on the efforts of one major logistics services company (and its employees) as an example of the compassion exhibited by those in this great profession. That company is FedEx (and its many divisions). Consider the following:

• In total, the FedEx companies have already contributed more than $2 million in cash and in-kind transportation service donations to the American Red Cross and other charitable organizations to help victims of Katrina and Rita.
• FedEx Freight alone has hauled more than 150,000 pounds of supplies bound for victims along the northern Gulf Coast at no charge.
• The day after Hurricane Katrina hit, FedEx employees from around the country descended on the area to provide support. In Mobile, Ala., teams armed with address lists for local FedEx employees went door to door searching for their colleagues, often navigating roads without street signs. If employees were not at home, the teams photographed the sites so that evacuated employees could determine how their property had fared during the storm.
• Employees of Baton Rouge's FedEx Kinko's centers teamed up with the American Red Cross to get the word out to evacuees about how to obtain assistance. With evacuees spread out among more than 200 different shelters in Louisiana alone, the Red Cross couldn't rely on technology like the Internet to deliver information to evacuees, who had no power—much less Internet access. Within two days, FedEx Kinko's had produced 408 vinyl banners and 150,000 color informational fliers and shipped them (via the FedEx transportation network, of course) to Baton Rouge.
• When the Humane Society of Greater Akron (Ohio) needed a way to transport pet food and supplies it had collected for temporary animal shelters in Mississippi, it was Virginia Albanese, vice president of services for FedEx Custom Critical, who came up with a solution. Albanese coordinated a Custom Critical shipment to the Humane Society in Tylertown, Miss., at no charge.
• Shortly after Hurricane Katrina had slammed into the Gulf Coast, a group of FedEx Express senior managers arrived in Memphis for two weeks of training. Rather than touring Graceland, visiting Beale Street or playing golf, the group spent its free time shopping for towels, diapers, toothbrushes and soap. After the team had packed more than $2,500 worth of supplies into a rented van, two senior managers, Mike Ziniel and Brett Dettmann, hit the road for the six-hour drive to LaPlace, La., where they delivered the supplies to relief workers.

To the folks at FedEx, and to the logistics folks all over the country who stand ready to give back both in times of crisis and in the course of everyday life, we offer you our sincere thanks.