The National Auto Body Council (NABC), along with G&C Auto Body, GEICO and PPG, recently donated seven refurbished vehicles to seven deserving Sonoma, Calif.-area residents via the Recycled Rides program.

G&C Auto Body has now donated a total of 212 vehicles to their local community, and the latest presentation represents the largest single-day vehicle donation ever by an independent collision repair organization.

The presentation was held at the Sonoma County Event Center at the Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, Calif. Participants included NABC Recycled Rides program representatives; vehicle donor GEICO; collision repair partner G&C Auto Body; PPG; and the seven deserving recipients selected by the Crozat Family Foundation, the philanthropic arm of G&C Auto Body.

“What an honor to be part of a tremendous event with an organization that provides such incredible support for the community,” said Bill Garoutte, president and CEO of the NABC. “To gift more than 210 cars to area residents in need is an amazing milestone, and to present seven in one day by G&C Auto Body is truly remarkable.”

The recipients included:

• Stephanie, a single mom to two young children who received a 2014 Honda Civic. Her partner of 15 years recently and unexpectedly passed away. Stephanie was in need of transportation to continue her journey of stabilization with her children after the loss of their father. She and her son are living in a transitional house as they actively look for a place to live. She heard about the Crozat Family Foundation from a person who recently received a vehicle through the foundation.
• Sue, who has been a single mom from the time her oldest was three years old and who was presented a 2016 Nissan Versa. Now, she is the matriarch of a multigenerational household that consist of herself, her two adult daughters and her grandson. Sue owned a 1996 Toyota 4Runner with 300,000 miles and a blown head gasket and relied on her youngest daughter to drive her to work and her oldest daughter’s boyfriend to pick her up. She had been trying to save for another vehicle, but this gift of transportation will help her be able to get to work and not rely on others.
• Cheyanne, who was gifted a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. Cheyanne and two of her three children were living in Lake County when their house was deemed uninhabitable and they had to leave. They also had to leave behind their older model vehicle that had stopped running. Cheyanne said that they left that house with the clothes on their backs and a few other personal items. She will use this car to help get her and her sons to medical appointments and to get her youngest to school.
• Shannon, who received a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. Shannon and her three children lost the home they were renting to the wildfires in 2017. They had been living with Shannon’s parents ever since, but the home environment had become unhealthy for everyone and she is currently looking for a new place to live. Shannon had two older, unreliable vehicles, one of which was a 2006 Chevy Tahoe with 246,000 miles that was falling apart. She is currently working one full-time job and two part-time jobs to cover their living expenses. The gift of transportation will allow her to manage her children’s schedule and get to her jobs.
• Mike, a single dad with shared custody who was presented a 2017 Toyota Camry. Since his separation, Mike has been trying to rebuild his life while keeping up with legal fees, fighting for his share of custody of the kids, working full-time and juggling the kids’ extracurricular activities. Mike drove a used truck that he was struggling to afford. He was in need of reliable transportation so he could comfortably sell the truck he has a payment on without relying on friends and family for rides to maintain his job and his children’s quality of life.
• Eva, who received a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta. To be closer to her kids as they went through the reunification process, Eva endured a two-and-a-half hour bus ride from her work. Eva has overcome her addiction and is reunifying with her children through the help of her family. Her previous vehicle was totaled by a drunk driver. Eva is also going to school to get her certificate in Waste Water Management. Now that she has been awarded a Section 8 voucher, she will be able to get a stable place and bring her children home. She was in need of transportation to continue to get to work on time, potentially go to school in person, find a place to live and attend to her children’s needs.
• Clara, who received a 2018 Nissan Altima. Clara, Kristopher and their three children are a blended family trying to get by with a vehicle that has been overheating and is constantly breaking down. She is working full-time as a security guard at Graton Resort and Casino, while Kris has been staying home with their youngest son until he recovers from a recent surgery and all the follow-up doctor visits are completed. Then, he will get back into the workforce. The new vehicle will allow them to more effectively manage family life, jobs and medical visits.

Each recipient also received six months of full vehicle coverage from GEICO, along with six months of gas gift cards, six months of grocery gifts cards and $100 Target gift cards for each child to help make Christmas a little easier – all courtesy of G&C Auto Body and the Crozat Family Foundation.

Recycled Rides is a program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the program in 2007, NABC members have donated more than 2,750 vehicles valued at more than $38 million.

Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides presentation include 1-800 Charity Cars.