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New State Bill Focuses On Donating Cars To Those Less Fortunate
An Ocean County program that donates older cars to needy families is the basis of a new state bill that has already passed the New Jersey State Assembly.
For several years, the county has taken older, high-mileage vehicles, which normally would have been sold for a nominal fee, and instead donated them to the St. Francis Center on Long Beach Island.
The center repairs the vehicles and donates them to local families who are trying to get off the welfare rolls and return to work.
"Sometimes, the biggest hurdle these families face is trying to find a way to get to work," said Freeholder Gerry P. Little.
Since 2005, the county has donated 10 vehicles to the program, each of which has seen 10 to 15 years of service.
The success of the St. Francis Center effort caught the attention of Assemblyman Ronald S. Dancer (R-30th), who introduced legislation that would allow the state to donate surplus motor vehicles to nonprofit charitable organizations.
Like the St. Francis Center, the charitable organizations would have to make the vehicles available to residents who take part in the Work First New Jersey program, which offers training and job placement to welfare recipients trying to re-enter the workplace.
"Ocean County's effort to provide lowincome working families with a means of transportation is commendable and should be emulated by the state and other agencies," said Dancer.
The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders is also expected to adopt a resolution supporting Dancer's bill, which has already unanimously passed the Assembly and is awaiting review by the Senate Transportation Committee.
The bill also includes provisions for needy residents living in areas with little or no mass transportation.
Before donating a vehicle, the state will not only review the nonprofit organization's track record in serving the needy in a community, but will also look at the availability of bus and train service in the area.
Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari commended Dancer for using the county's program as the model for his bill.
"We look at our program not as a handout, but a hand-up," Vicari said. "Many of these cars will go to working mothers supporting their children."
Vicari encouraged residents, local business and government agencies to consider donating a vehicle to St. Francis or a similar reach-out program.
"This is an opportunity to really make a difference and help a family get back on its feet," he said.
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