kmG Cares
When people see our trucks, we want people to be inspired. How do we do this?
When people see our trucks, we want people to be inspired. How do we do this?
Our trucks are more than just trash trucks.
Their unique designs illustrate kmG’s commitment to making a difference in the community.
We show our appreciation by turning our trucks into mobile billboards with messages to support the troops, as well as creating awareness for different types of health conditions. We hope to motivate thousands of those in the DMV to act!
kmG Hauling was founded on the idea to change the look and reputation of the waste management industry. Many people associated garbage trucks, trash containers and disposal companies as either old, run down or plain dirty. To change these perceptions, we conceptualized the flame design. Our flame design was first installed on our metallic green truck. By overhauling our look, we wanted to make a statement on how passionate we were about our business.
As we continue to increase our fleet, we evolve and adapt to modern, state-of-the-art methods for removing waste, as well as using our trucks for good. Creating a captive customer base in the DMV has given us the opportunity to spread our approach and philosophy locally, while social media has broadened our reach nationally.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental health is a crucial issue that affects people from all walks of life. Mental health refers to our psychological and emotional well-being, which can be influenced by a range of factors, including genetics, life experiences, and environmental factors. The importance of mental health awareness cannot be overstated. Mental health awareness involves promoting understanding and empathy towards those who suffer from mental health issues. It also involves educating people about the warning signs of mental illness and available resources.
One way to promote mental health awareness is by encouraging open and honest discussions about mental health. This can help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and help people feel more comfortable seeking help.
Another way is by supporting mental health organizations and initiatives. These organizations provide resources and support to those who suffer from mental illness and work to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
Taking care of your mental health should be a priority, just like your physical health. This means engaging in self-care practices such as exercise, healthy eating, and getting enough sleep. Mental health awareness is an important issue that affects us all. By promoting understanding and empathy towards those who suffer from mental illness, we can help reduce the stigma and ensure that those who need help receive the support they need.
Wear Pink for Breast Cancer
In creating our first awareness campaign, we painted our trucks bright pink to bring awareness to breast cancer. We were not sure how people would react to seeing a bright pink truck driving down the street, but we were met with an overwhelming amount of positive support.
'Trashing' Pancreatic cancer
Years later, pancreatic cancer took the life of an aunt of Hugo Garcia (our president) and the mother of a close family friend. To commemorate the devasting losses and honor our loved ones, we rolled out a fleet of purple trucks to create awareness of the horrible disease. In turn, social media helped us garner national recognition for spreading the word about pancreatic cancer.
Children's Cancer
The vehicle was designed to promote this awareness and Ellie’s Hat is a program devoted to the following:
Ellie’s Hats started with the mission to brighten the day of children with cancer. We have done this by sending special packages of hats and other items to children and their families. We have sent over 1,900 packages to children across the country. Since starting we have added another part of our mission and that is to help local families, who have a child with cancer and are struggling financially. As of Feb 2022, we have donated over $200,000 in checks to local families. We do this by working with the Social Workers at the PVS Clinic at Inova the Scharr Cancer Institute. We recently expanded this program to WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital in West Virginia. We are planning to add more locations as we receive more support.
In this spirit, kmG has proudly partnered with Ellie’s Hats in support for finding a cure for childhood cancer. To learn more about the great work they do, please go to their website at https://ellieshats.org/.
P.A.N.D.A.S.
P.A.N.D.A.S. stands for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus. The syndrome involves sudden and often major changes in personality, behavior, and movement in children following a strep infection. In 2018, kmG learned of a family whose son was diagnosed with P.A.N.D.A.S. After hearing of that story and how it affects not only the child, but also the family, kmG felt compelled to create a truck to bring awareness to others. Since the creation of the first P.A.N.D.A.S. truck, 3 more have been created and can be seen driving through the DMV.
Attacking Diabetes
In March of 2021, kmG unveiled a truck that is near and dear to the Garcia family, as well as the company. Hugo’s father, Aurelio Garcia, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at a young age. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is needed to allow sugar to enter cells to produce energy. For these reasons, kmG unveiled its final truck of the awareness campaign, the Type 1 Diabetes truck.
Honoring Autism
In honor of Autism, which now affects 1 in 54 children, and over half are classified as having an intellectual disability or borderline intellectual disability, we are honored to present two of our newest trucks to our fleet to continue bring the Awareness to the forefront.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause serious social communication and behavioral changes. People with ASD often do not have physical characteristics that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD May interact, behave and communicate differently. A person with ASD learning, thinking, and problem solving abilities range from severely challenged to gifted. Someone with ASD may need a lot of support or maybe just strategies to get through daily life. ASD occurs in all ethical, racial, and socioeconomic groups, however it is about 4 times more common in boys than girls.
“It seems that for success in science and art, a dash of autism is essential.”
Hans Asperger
Dedicated and Designed to Highlight our Maryland Customers
We take pride in the customers we serve. This truck is dedicated and designed to highlight our Maryland accounts and customers. It was created to honor our Maryland clients that continue to support kmG. We are proud to service the DMV and out of our 2,488 customers, 243 of them are located in Maryland.
Highly talented tattoo artist Tommy Montoya from Klockwork Tattoo Club designed the incredible truck designs. Tommy is a renowned tattoo artist who was cast on the reality web series, The Tattoo Shop. kmG’s President, Hugo Garcia met him while in NYC and has created a relationship ever since.
Some of the iconic images highlighted on the truck include:
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness
The heart is one of the most important organs of our body. Unfortunately, every year thousands of infants are born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) around the world. This is why we launched a Congenital Heart Defect Awareness truck, to not only observe it, but create awareness of the disease amongst our community.
This truck is dedicated to Landon Vipond and his family. In May 2023, we presented his very own vehicle tribute in honor of the strength he has showed. We honor and promote Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week every February to bring awareness about the disease and raise more funds for research that will save lives.
Brain Cancer Awareness
A brain tumor is a growth of cells in the brain or near it. Brain tumors can happen in the brain tissue or near the brain tissue.
All brain and spine tumors, collectively called central nervous system (CNS) tumors, are rare. Only about 25,000 people are diagnosed with cancerous CNS tumors each year in the United States.
To raise awareness about brain tumors and educate the community, we made this truck gray in honor of going Gray in May. The month of May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month (BTAM), a time to find better ways to prevent and treat brain cancer.
Saluting our Troops Truck
It takes tremendous sacrifice by brave men and women who serve in our U.S. Armed Forces to uphold the freedoms Americans enjoy. That is why we proud of the addition to our fleet that shines a spotlight on our Troops.
We would like to thank the Sentinels of Freedom for helping us bring this truck to life!
Sentinels of Freedom is committed to empowering severely wounded and injured post-9/11 veterans during their transition into civilian life. They provide guidance in pursuing higher education and establishing fulfilling careers, facilitating their seamless integration into society and self-sufficiency.