StorQuest Self Storage, an operator with facilities throughout Arizona, California, Colorado and Hawaii, will hold two charitable events this month in Los Angeles to benefit Charity Storage, a nonprofit organization that raises money for charities through self-storage auctions. Created by Lance Watkins, founder of the self-storage auction site StorageTreasures.com, Charity Storage donates the proceeds from self-storage lien sales to local and national charities.

Participating storage operators dedicate a storage unit from inventory as a collection point for donated goods. Departing and current tenants, auction buyers, and local residents and businesses can donate items to the Charity Storage unit and receive a tax-deductible receipt. When the storage facility holds a public auction, the unit is sold alongside tenant-delinquent units, and the money generated is allocated to local and national charities.

Charity Storage was created when Watkins and Barry Hoeven, founder and owner of Westport Properties and the nonprofit Kure It Cancer Research, saw the popularity of self-storage auctions grow and realized the industry could give back to society. The net proceeds from each sale are split three ways: 10 percent goes to the Self Storage Association Foundation, which provides scholarships to students with a connection to the self-storage industry; 30 percent goes to Kure It; and the remainder goes to a local or national charity chosen by the participating self-storage operator.

StorQuest has chosen to donate the remaining 60 percent of its auction proceeds to Smile Train, an international charity providing cleft palate surgery to children around the world. As a founding sponsor, StorQuest has already donated $10,000 to Charity Storage efforts. The company also recently completed a separate charity contest for Kure It that raised more than $10,000.

The auctions will be held at the following StorQuest Southern California locations:

Our team is always looking for unique ways to support worthy causes. This is why we wanted to support Charity Storage by becoming founding sponsors, said Bill Hobin, President and CEO of William Warren Group (WWG), StorQuests parent company. Now every StorQuest facility is a designated Charity Storage drop-off location. We want to encourage members of the local community to make a real impact by simply donating unwanted items from around their home or from their storage units when they move out.

Local residents can donate items at any StorQuest facility during operating hours. Suggested items for these donation units include working electronics, tools, household items, toys and furniture with the exception of mattresses.

StorQuest is the operating trade name of self-storage properties owned and operated by WWG, a privately held real estate company that develops, acquires and operates income-producing real estate assets.