It's moved from a pilot program to a full movement for Farmers Insurance as they begin collecting suits for returning soldiers, and one Quad Cities agency is jumping to help as much as they can.
There were only a hand full of Farmers Insurance agencies across the country that took part in the Suits for Soldiers drive last year during its first year, but after getting around 800 suits, it's now a company-wide effort that will be extending to the Ken Himebaugh Farmers Insurance office in Moline.
The Suits for Soldiers program started out as just an idea, something that Farmers Insurance wanted to do for returning soldiers. They're collecting gently-used suits and dress clothes for area soldiers returning from active duty overseas to use during job interviews, to help them get acclimated to life outside service. Ken Himebaugh and his staff in Moline knew from a year ago this was a program they wanted to help.
"We're excited about it, we're energized about it. We're expecting this to be a very successful program. We're looking forward to seeing people come in our office and drop off what they have," Himebaugh said.
Having family in the military makes this a personal mission for people in his office, but just being able to help out a veteran however they can makes their effort worthwhile.
"Obviously, we talk insurance. We are in the insurance business, so we talk insurance. But we're also in the business of helping people. That's what we're in the business of helping people. It just kind of goes hand in hand. We're trying to help our veterans while we're trying to help our customers any way we can," Himebaugh said.
The program is already underway, and they're off to a great start thanks to a donation from Dillards, so it's not just individuals helping out with the cause.
If you have any suits or dress clothes that may be looking for a new home, the Ken Himebaugh Farmers Insurance office in Moline will take them off your hands and put them to good use. They can be found at 1600 30th Avenue in Moline, and they'll be accepting donations from Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 all the way until November 30th, 2016.