TowBoatU.S. Ft Lauderdale Assists Seafarer's House
in Shoebox Christmas Gift Deliveries

Tis' the season of giving! It's easy to remember all of our loved ones during the holiday season, but it's also easy to forget all of those that are away from their families. Seafarer's House is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides basic amenities to seafarers that visit Port Everglades. The 4,200 square foot facility provides multiple amenities in one location. It is a place of worship, buffet, convenience store that contains foods from around the world and a small electronics shop. The facility also offers crewmembers the ability to wire money as well as free internet use, a library, and a pool table. Seafarers are not allowed to travel within the Port without supervision so the Seafarer's House owns a van to provide shuttle services to and from the ships. They also offer counseling and guidance for improving work conditions amongst many other services.

During the Holiday season, Seafarer's House also works with the maritime community to put together wrapped shoeboxes filled with white athletic socks, work gloves, combs, basic toiletries, pencils, pens, and other items. They hope to deliver 2,000 shoebox Christmas gifts directly to seafarers aboard ships before Christmas day. Michelle Hoekstra, Sales Representative for TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale had the pleasure of delivering these gifts to both cargo ships and tankers. She stated, "I couldn't believe how grateful the crews were to receive the shoebox gifts. They were all like children on Christmas morning. Activities like these help remind me how lucky I truly am to spend the holidays with my family and friends and give me a greater appreciation for Seafarers around the world!"

To learn about Seafarer's House, please visit their website at www.seafarershouse.org