The Douglas County Car Care Program (DCCCP) today announced that it received a grant of $50,000 from the Otto Bremer Foundation to support the car donation and repair program in Douglas County.
Transportation is one of the greatest burdens for people in poverty. Without reliable transportation, people are not able to get to work, care for their families, get appropriate medical attention, and the children are not able to participate in normal community activities. With this grant, DCCCP will be able to continue to accept donated vehicles, repair them and give them to needy families. If the family already owns a vehicle, DCCCP will repair their vehicle if it is feasible, using primarily volunteers at a Car Care Saturday hosted by Juettner Motors, Alexandria Motors or Diamond Buick.
“Just last week we donated a car to a single mom whose job and five children depend on her having a car to be able to keep her job and stay in school. Another was able to move out of a woman’s shelter and go to work. The recipients act stunned when they learn that they now have a car, or that their car is now repaired, even if they had no money to do it. We can make the program work only with support,” said Korkowski.
The DCCCP program is a safety net for people faced with transportation barriers. Local agencies and churches now readily refer their clients to DCCCP for assistance, when there is a transportation challenge.
The budget for DCCCP for this year is $164,000. The DCCCP goal for 2015 is to donate 40 vehicles and repair 100. Since the program started in April, 2013, 92 cars have been donated and 391 vehicles have been repaired.
The mission of DCCCP is “Promoting Independence by Providing Car Care.” More information is available for donations or assistance, is available at www.douglascountycarcare.org or by calling 320-460-7911.
This article originally appeared on KXRA's Voice of Alexandria.
