A veteran and a single mother are driving new vehicles thanks to a program that refurbishes cars for those who need them.
The vehicles make it easier for them to get to work, school, appointments and events for their children, a news release states.
Riverside resident Sophia Heard and Letitia Salazar, who lives in Los Angeles, received their new wheels during a Saturday, Nov. 16, event at All Magic Paint & Body in Norco.
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The National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program enlisted Allstate to donate the vehicles and All Magic for repairs, the release states.
Heard, who served in the Army National Guard, and her son James became homeless and she faced challenges in finding a job without a vehicle, the release states. Heard, a caregiver, was taking two-hour bus trips each way to get services for her son, who has special needs.
Now she is driving a 2022 Honda Accord.
“Providing this family a vehicle will be a life-changing event for their financial, educational and social situations,” the release states.
Heard, according to the release, said during the event: “This looks like something brand new off the lot, and I thank you all for it.”
Salazar, a single mother of four, lost her home and had no way to get to work, the release states. She was gifted a 2018 Toyota Camry.
“Amazing, beautiful, she’s a beauty,” Salazar said upon seeing the car during the ceremony, the release states.
The Recycled Rides program launched in 2007 and has donated more than 3,300 vehicles worth about $47 million since then, according to the release.
Also joining in the November car giveaways were Lobos Towing, Precise Mobile Auto Glass, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, AkzoNobel, LKQ, Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity, Copart and Enterprise, the release states.
