An NMF grantee, the United Way of Bemidji Area, held a Car Care Clinic in October 2021 through its Wheels to Work: Fueling Opportunities to Thrive program. Partnering with Dondelinger GM’s Service Department, their technicians serviced 22 vehicles, changing their oil, rotating tires, and completing a safety inspection. Service technicians also completed any simple repairs that could be completed that same day, such as changing windshield wipers and replacing light bulbs.
Each client left with a safety report that outlined the status of the condition of their vehicle, with urgent repairs marked. From those reports, the United Way was able to cover the cost of 12 vehicle repairs that had urgent safety concerns, ranging from new brake lines to new calipers, pads, rotors, brakes, actuators, and tires.
“Many clients expressed that the Car Care Clinic gave them peace of mind about their vehicle’s condition,” the United Way reported in the grant report back to NMF. “While they know that issues can occur at any time, the safety report either calmed their fears that the noise their vehicle was making was not a safety concern or that the vehicle was in good enough condition to safely drive their families around.”
Community Resource Connections submitted a complementary report, to further illustrate the program’s impact. CRC had been working with a household with an adult who was struggling with the effects of long-term COVID. The adult’s hours had been cut at work due to the complications and, for the first time ever, they were having a hard time paying the family’s bills. CRC worked to connect the family to a range of services that could help them during the difficult time.
Then, the family’s only vehicle broke down and three family members were suddenly at risk of losing jobs.
Already, the household was pressed for access to transportation as they juggled the use of 1 vehicle for 2 adults and a teenager. Keeping in mind that this is a household that has been self-sustaining and has been on the “giving” side of things as opposed to the “receiving” side, accepting services and financial resources was, and continues to be, no small challenge.
The Wheels to Work program, literally, saved jobs for this household, has kept bills paid and food accessible. Also, 3 employers in this community kept dedicated, hardworking employees during a time when reliable help is difficult to find.
I am not sure, at this point, who is most grateful for the availability of Wheels to Work: the family receiving the funds or the staff who were able to provide access to such a valuable resource.
