Beyond Self Storage (BSS), which operates 18 facilities in eight states, hosted an online auction on Jan. 25 to raise money for Lemons of Love, a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides support to cancer victims. The effort was part of an ongoing partnership between the two organizations to promote their mission and events on social media, according to a press release.

The auction was held through Charity Storage, a nonprofit that helps self-storage operators raise funds for altruistic causes, and StorageTreasures.com, an online self-storage auction service. BSS customers were asked to donate new and gently used items, which were placed in a dedicated unit until the sale. Sixty percent of the proceeds were then donated to Lemons, with the remaining going to Charity Storage programs. BSS plans to hold charity auctions regularly, with the goal of raising $5,000 this year, the release stated.

The partnership was forged last year. “We wanted to work with a charity based in the community, where we could be assured that our efforts would impact the community we serve,” said Lara Anderson, director of marketing for BSS. “We all know someone that has been impacted by cancer, and what a great feeling it is to know we are helping be a bright spot in someone’s hard time.”

Jill Swanson Peltier founded Lemons in 2014 after being diagnosed with cancer. She was touched by a gift she received that helped her through chemotherapy, and now hopes to give others the same love and support. Lemons ships chemo-care packages nationwide and offers programming at its resource center in Mount Prospect, Ill.

“Lemons of Love was created to bring a bit of joy and comfort to the lives of those faced with fighting cancer through chemotherapy,” Peltier said. “When life gives lemons, we make ‘Lemons of Love,’ and when life brings you a business connection trying to expand upon and support our mission, we make a valued partner.”

BSS operates facilities in Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Pennsylvania. It plans to expand into five more states and reach more than 40 locations in 10 markets by 2020. The portfolio is owned by NorthPoint Development, a development, management and leasing firm that’s principally focused on the industrial, multi-family, senior living and self-storage markets in the Central United States.