Over a decade ago, I established a nonprofit that awarded cars to women in transition, based on my personal experience as a single mother on welfare. When my eldest daughter was 4 months old, since I didn’t have a car, a friend drove me back and forth to college, dropping me off at the burger joint across from campus two hours before classes started.

I would take naps on the tables of the editorial offices of the college paper, juggling time, assignments and parenthood, doing my best to literally and figuratively move forward. Later, after I managed to scrape together enough cash to buy a bucket of bolts, I still needed help. The daily newspaper where I worked would send out a delivery van to take my kids to school and bring me in to work when that car wouldn’t start.

While at the newspaper, I began to serve on various boards of capacity-building organizations, which informed the organization I eventually established. While that organization no longer exists (the story of that is featured in my upcoming book, publishing in 2023), I still get requests from people who are looking for cars for women (mostly for those who are leaving abusive relationships).

Here are some GENERAL ideas that may help:

• Contact individual board members of organizations who serve communities in crisis or transition — only if they are friends of yours. Ask these people if they have unused cars (kids at college etc) or a source for low-cost purchase.
• If you do not have friends at these orgs, contact the organization(s) directly, explaining your need, stressing the fact that while they may not be able to help, could they make a recommendation?
• Check out mom and pop gas station/repair shops or shade tree mechanics. These are usually puttering people who have networks/access to auctions where cars may be found.
• Recycled Rides is an organization that helps NONPROFITS —not individuals —  in locating/sourcing some cars. They’re a national organization connected to the repair/collision industries. They place reconditioned cars through nonprofits. You can click on their link to see which organizations exist in your area. If they do exist, apply directly to the organization with whom they partner. DO NOT contact Recycled Rides or the business/repair shop (with the exception of asking for information on where to find a partner organization). They do not award cars directly to individuals.
• Ask insurance agents and real estate relocation people you may know (directly). These are people who have networks that focus on transition, or getting people from one place to the other. They may know of an organization, or they may themselves have a car, or they may belong to a religious, professional or fraternal association that can help.
• If you know of funeral directors or estate/probate attorneys, these are also individuals whose industries focus on people in transition. It’s common for decedents to leave behind cars.

NOTE: I share this on my site as a way to pay it forward. While the organization I established no longer exists, the knowledge I gained and the networks I forged may still be leveraged in service to people who need help.

P.S. To subscribe to my free weekly newsletter, book a coaching session and more, click here.