12 vehicles given out since 2010 thanks to the Carma Project.
Integra Tire Kelowna donated two vehicles to local non-profit organizations as part of its annual Carma Project Wednesday afternoon.
The NOW Canada Society was given a 2006 Honda Odyssey minivan, while the Elizabeth Fry Society received a 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser.
Integra Tire marketing director Penny Stranaghan says they took a different approach this year in terms of who they donated the vehicles to.
“Usually it’s a family – it could be a couple or an individual,” says Stranaghan. “This time I got called by the charities themselves. They went: ‘we need a car!’”
These cars will allow the local charities to provide their clients a way of getting around, whether it’s to and from the agency or even just to the grocery store.
“We are going to be able to provide services to hundreds of families and hundreds of women and children that are in need of support services,” says Lindsay Hammond, a service worker with the Elizabeth Fry Society. “(The car) is going to provide that anonymity that the clients need, instead of going to appointments in their own vehicle.”
While some mechanical problems delayed the giveaway by a few weeks, the charities were still thrilled nonetheless when their new vehicles were rolled out on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re blown away,” says Liz Talbott, Executive Director at NOW Canada. “It’s like Christmas came early.”
Since the Program’s inception in 2010, Integra Tire Kelowna has received 12 donated vehicles, conducted repairs on them, and given them to families in need or local non-profit organizations.
