By Brian Ojanpa
MANKATO — Joshua Johnson no longer has to rely on borrowed autos and his bicycle to get around.
The 28-year-old Waseca unemployed single father received free wheels this week in conjunction with a national program providing vehicles to families in need.
The crew at Jerry’s Body Shop in Mankato took a 1996 Buick Regal deemed non-repairable by an insurance company and made it good to go again.
“It just helps them take one more pressure off their life,” Geralynn Kottschade of Jerry’s said of the challenges Johnson faces in finding a job and caring for three boys younger than 5.
Johnson formerly worked as a hotel night clerk, taking his children to stay with his ex-wife in the Twin Cities during his work days.
“I have one car that isn’t running, and I borrowed vehicles here and there when I needed to do things,” he said.
And when he couldn’t secure a car, he’d ride his bike — a tricky feat when bringing home groceries for himself and sons with the novel names of Atreyu, Raziel and Sabien (he said he and his wife didn’t want to select names “from the top 1,000”).
The car-donation program is under the auspices of Recycled Rides, a nationwide project of the National Auto Body Council, whose 2009 goal was to have 150 body shops involved and to give away 100 vehicles.
This is Jerry’s second year with the program, and Kottschade said the business will try to give away two vehicles next year.
Car recipients are chosen by the Mankato-based Minnesota Valley Action Council, whose transportation coordinator, Dan Jones, said he receives dozens of phone calls each day from needy people seeking vehicles.
Jones said Johnson was chosen to receive a vehicle because of his unemployment situation, his single-father status and the commute distance involved in sharing child care with his former wife.
Jerry’s repaired, reconditioned and put new tires on the 120,000-mile car.
