Natalie's Everyday Heroes: The local mission shipping hope all over the world

NEW HOLSTEIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- This past spring, CBS 58 introduced you to the volunteers at St. Joseph's Tool Chest in New Berlin. 

These men take all kinds of broken, rusty tools and refurbish them until they are as good as new. 

Those tools are then donated all over the world with the help of the Salvatorian Mission Warehouse in New Holstein. 

It's an organization sending not only tools, but all kinds of humanitarian aid to people in 15 different countries. 

They send all these goods by shipping containers, and loading one is a bit of a puzzle. There are hundreds of boxes. 

"I'd say at least 300 to 400," said Director Mark Steiner.

There are bikes and all kinds of other food and supplies. 

"It's like a giant game of Tetris, if you want to look at it that way," said Steiner.

Here at the Salvatorian Mission Warehouse, they're experts at this.

"We give the countries a list of what we have and then they decide what they want," he said.

The particular shipping container we watched get loaded will make its way to Honduras. 

"Most of our countries are in Central and South America and Africa," said Deb Steiner.

They pack an average of two shipping containers each month to send around the world. 

"Our mission is to help people. Help people however we can," she said.

It’s a big commitment.

"I'm supposed to be here 32 hours a week. I wind up being here probably 50 to 60 hours, sometimes longer than that," Mark Steiner said.

Deb and Mark are a husband and wife team.

"Most days it's good," Deb said with a good-natured laugh. "There's days when the volunteers will definitely hear us bickering. Overall, it's wonderful working with him."

And for the couple, keeping the Salvatorian Mission Warehouse going is clearly a labor of love. 

"There's all kinds of work going on here," Mark said.

 Volunteers sort and fold clothes. And they run a small store that pays for the containers.

"So, we're taking it in, repackaging it, and repurposing it and giving it to people that need it," Mark said.

Deb Steiner said getting the container and shipping it costs at least $7,300 each time. The container costs $2,300 and it's between $5,000 and $8,000 to ship it.

"Last year, we only got 20 out, so this year we're shooting for 28," she said.

Deb says most of what they send are things we take for granted. 

"But can be life-changing when this container reaches its destination," she added.

"It warms my heart every day that we're helping people. That's the name of the game," Mark said.

Donated items come in from all over. And right now, they're working to raise $5 million to build an additional 35,000 square-foot warehouse because they need the space to store all of those donations.

The current building was built back in 1951 and has structural issues.

For more information, click here. 

If you'd like to nominate an everyday hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].