The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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January 1, 2009

Last-minute donations more than tax breaks

Wheel Get There director says average people account for majority of contributions

By Mark Fischenich

MANKATO — Dan Jones’ tradition of spending New Year’s Eve at work paid off Wednesday when a pair of late-arriving cars were donated to the Minnesota Valley Action Council’s Wheel Get There program.

The final two donations — an ’89 Honda Accord that came in just before 5 p.m. and a ’93 Olds Ciera that arrived around 9:30 p.m. — brought the total for 2008 to 146 vehicles for the program that helps provide affordable, dependable vehicles to low-income residents of south-central Minnesota.

Jones sticks around the office until midnight on Dec. 31 hoping people might try to squeeze in a vehicle donation to take advantage of the tax deduction that comes with the charitable contribution. But the final two folks were typical of most donors — average, middle-class people more interested in helping others than getting a modest tax benefit.

The Honda was contributed by a soldier recently back from serving in Afghanistan. It was his first car, he was attached to it and he wanted it to go to a good cause, Jones said. The Oldsmobile was donated by a nurse practitioner whose father had purchased the car new.

“They just wanted to help someone out,” Jones said. “... Maybe the perception is that you have to be wealthy to donate a car, but the majority of the donors are middle-income.”

The recipients who get the cars aren’t. They tend to be people who desperately need a solid car, particularly to ensure they can reliably get to a job, but can’t afford to purchase a dependable vehicle on the open market.

MVAC, which is heavily involved in helping people get and obtain steady employment, has found that reliability is the top issue for employers, Jones said.

“They say ‘We want them to show up on time to work every day,” he said. “If you don’t have a reliable vehicle, that’s very difficult to do.”

Donated cars, by their nature, don’t always arrive in peak operating condition. So Jones gets the work done to turn them into trusty modes of transportation, and then advises the people who purchase or lease them at reduced rates on how to keep them running well.

The experience has altered his attitude about cars and the thousands of connected parts that can turn a vehicle into a very large headache.

“I took the job eight years ago because I was a car guy and I loved cars,” Jones said. “After eight years, I hate cars. ... They eat money. But I keep the job because I love the people.”

He sees his vehicles sailing down area streets all the time, knowing that they’re making a crucial difference for many of the people in the driver’s seat. One of them, Deloris, called at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, knowing Jones and his family would be at the MVAC office on Raintree Road.

“Just to wish me a Happy New Year,” Jones said of her call. “... I know Deloris’ life is better. She may not be rich. But I know her life’s better.”

With the current deep recession, many low-income people are even more desperate to hold onto their jobs — making Wheel Get There even more crucial. And despite tough economic times, the donations aren’t slowing down.

The 146 vehicles contributed in 2008 was 30 more than the year before.

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