Changing Lives of the Poor with Donated Cars(2/3)

"We looked at the problems with low-income families in gaining and maintaining employment. Two of the major barriers for them to get out of poverty was(were) transportation and childcare. So we looked in and said ‘what’s the easiest ways to provide them transportation?’ All of our cars today are donated mostly by individuals. We do advertising in local radio, in local newspapers and a little bit on TV, and do a lot of word of mouth and presentations."

Schwartz says in the past seven years Vehicles for Change has awarded more than 2,100 cars to low-income families in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Qualified individuals attend an orientation program to learn about safe driving and automobile insurance. They then buy the car with the help of a loan for $900 to $1,000.

"Once our recipient gets a car they get a six month 6,000 mile warranty. They can't always bring it back here. So we probably have 30 garages throughout Maryland and Virginia who do the repairs for us."