CARSTAR is commending its team members and franchisee owners’ commitment to their communities in the face of a worldwide pandemic. Efforts to date have totaled over 1,000 pieces of medical supplies donated to hospitals, over 1,000 lbs. of food donated to local shelters and hundreds of homemade masks made for team members.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recognized the auto repair and maintenance industry as an essential service, per its “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce” list in the U.S. Similarly, in Canada, provinces across the country have deemed this line of work essential. This means that CARSTAR’s over 700 centers across the U.S. and Canada remain open and dedicated to their roles within their communities.

“Every day, our team members, franchisees and those other crucial front-line workers across industries make sacrifices to serve their larger communities through this COVID-19 epidemic,” said Michael Macaluso, president, Paint, Collision & Glass Group, Driven Brands. “Not only have we pivoted our business to provide contactless options, but an overwhelming amount of our franchisees and team members have been going above and beyond to help those who need it most right now.”

Inspired by the organic generosity sprouting within the organization, CARSTAR has also committed to donating $10,000 to the Atrium Health Foundation in Charlotte, N.C., and $10,000 to the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation in Hamilton, Ontario. This $20,000 donation is in honor of the CARSTAR facilities, and in the respective regions of the U.S. and Canadian CARSTAR head offices.

“This is about celebrating all of the compassion coming out of a time that has created unprecedented challenges for our world,” said Macaluso. “It is important in times like these to recognize all of the singular individuals, raising the collective disposition in communities across North America.”

Below are just a few examples of the generosity exhibited by the CARSTAR franchisee family:

Thanking Healthcare Workers

CARSTAR Hamlin in Rochester Hills, Mich., was able to source as many N95 masks as they could to donate to their local hospital. Beaumont Hospital in Troy is like many other hospitals across the world, facing a shortage of these essential materials used to keep healthcare workers safe.

CARSTAR Wally’s Owner Sherri Slater outfitted some dinosaurs, including Wallysaurus Rex, outside her shop with personal protective equipment (PPE) to support their local healthcare heroes and encourage their community to do the same. She originally bought the dinosaurs for Halloween and has since dressed them up in Chicago Cubs T-shirts for the playoffs and Thanksgiving and Christmas gear for the holidays.

CARSTAR Cambridge donated over 700 goggles, valuable PPE, to their local hospital. With PPE in high demand and low supply, every donation matters to hospitals like Cambridge Memorial Hospital.

Delivery Support

With many pharmacies doing more deliveries for crucial prescriptions than ever before to help protect the vulnerable from exposure to germs from the public, CARSTAR St-Félix-de-Valois and in Quebec loaned their courtesy vehicle to their local pharmacy to help alleviate their overwhelmed resources.

Food Bank Donations

With food banks and shelters overwhelmed with requests, CARSTAR Hamilton Lockwood and CARSTAR Hamilton Midtown in Ontario collected, donated and delivered over 1,000 lbs. of food to Good Shepherd, its local place of shelter for the vulnerable.

Supporting Local Restaurants

Looking to support both a local restaurant in the area as well as its healthcare workers, the team at CARSTAR Tamco Collision gave back this week to its community. For lunch, they ordered wings for the team, supporting their favorite local BBQ restaurant. For dinner, CARSTAR Tamco Collision had dinner delivered to the hospital, where a customer actually works in the lab department.

Protecting Employees

CARSTAR Jungerman in Saint Peters, Mo., is going the extra mile for their employees, as they have decided to make homemade masks for the team. The incredibly talented Heather Woodson even mixed up the patterns and colors, keeping the team stylish.

For more information, visit CARSTAR.com.