Driving Away Poverty - Society Of St. Vincent De Paul® National Vehicle Donation Program Helps Those In Need

ST. LOUIS, MO… Donate an old, tired car while lightening your tax burden for the year. Do something good for others during the holidays. These are all things that can be accomplished when you donate a car to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Vehicle Donation Program.

When a car is donated to the SVdP National Vehicle Donation Program, the proceeds generated from its sale at auction go directly to help the people in need in the donor’s community.

“We realize that for every person who donates a vehicle, there are even more people right there in the same community who are in need,” said Dave Barringer, CEO of the National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul. “The money that is generated from vehicle donations in your community will go right back into the neighborhood and help those in need.”

Since SVdP introduced the program in 2010, more than 8,900 motor vehicles have been donated. This past year, from December 1, 2014 to November 30, 2015, more than 2,300 vehicles were donated. The variety of vehicles accepted includes trucks, boats, motorcycles, personal watercrafts, heavy equipment and airplanes. “Whether is rolls, flies or floats, we can probably accommodate the donation,” Barringer said.

The average vehicle sold through the program this past year generated $543 to help those in need.

“With more than $500, we can ensure that 13 families have clean, running water in their home for a month. We can feed one family of four for six months with the money from one donated car,” said Sheila Gilbert, national president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. “The average electric bill in the United States is approximately $144 per month. The money generated by each donated vehicle can ensure that three families have working electricity for one month.”

Last year, the SVdP National Vehicle Donation Program generated more than $1 million to fund local SVdP programs to assist those in need.

SVdP’s National Vehicle Donation Program is managed by Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA). IAA is one of the leading North American salvage auto auctions. IAA’s goal is to sell each vehicle for the highest price possible to help SVdP members assist those in need. The company has been working with charitable organizations for more than 30 years.

SVdP also is a member of One Car One Difference™, a national public awareness program created by the IAA Donation Division to support more than 100 participating charities nationwide.

According to Gilbert, this is the time of year when vehicle donations spike. “While people feel a bit more charitable around the holidays, they are also trying to donate their vehicle in time to qualify for a tax deduction before the end of the year,” she said.

To donate a vehicle or get more information, visit: www.svdpusacars.com, or call (800) 322-8284.

One of the largest charitable organizations in the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (www.svdpusa.org) is an international, nonprofit, Catholic lay organization of about 800,000 men and women who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering in 150 countries on five continents. With the U.S. headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., membership in the United States totals more than 160,000 in 4,400 communities.

SVdP offers a variety of programs and services, including home visits, housing assistance, disaster relief, education and mentoring, food pantries, dining halls, clothing, assistance with transportation, prescription medication, and rent and utility costs. The Society also works to provide care for the sick, the incarcerated and the elderly. In 2014, SVdP provided over $955 million in tangible and in-kind services to those in need, made more than two million personal visits (homes, hospitals, prisons and eldercare facilities) and helped more than 14.1 million people regardless of race, religion or national origin.