Working Wheels has received a $50,000 grant from the State of North Carolina as one of the nonprofit grants approved in the 2023-24 State Budget thanks to the advocacy of Senator Warren Daniel, who represents Buncombe, Burke and McDowell Counties in the NC Senate.
Working Wheels provides affordable and reliable transportation options to working families in need in Western North Carolina. Car donations from the public are used to change lives and help clients gain access to transformational opportunities including education, employment, and access to healthcare. The organization also operates a Vehicle Repair Program that provides deeply discounted vehicle repairs for people who cannot afford to repair a vehicle they already own.
The grant will be used to scale up services, with the ultimate goal of serving over 400 households in 2024. Senator Warren Daniel states, “Working Wheels does amazing work by connecting people in need with reliable vehicles. There are remarkable stories to tell about lives that have been made better by having a reliable means of transportation to get children to school and parents to work. I am confident this grant will help Working Wheels grow this important service and expand its outreach to clients who can make the most of this investment.”
“Transportation is often a missing piece of the puzzle for people working to turn around their lives,” says Jamie Beasley, Executive Director of Working Wheels. In Buncombe County especially, the people who most need public transportation or to keep their transportation budget low can hardly afford to live in neighborhoods that make that possible. The problem compounds itself when expensive car repairs crop up.”
Ongoing car and cash donations are needed to meet the goal of serving 400 households in 2024. For more information on Working Wheels or how you can support this effort, please call Jamie Beasley at 828-633-6888 x8 or visit our website at www.workingwheelswnc.org
Other Working Wheels facts:
- Working Wheels was founded as a charitable nonprofit in 2014.
- Working Wheels has nine employees.
- Working Wheels is located in a repurposed service station, 76 Weaverville Rd in Asheville, where they assess donated vehicles and perform repairs.
- Working Wheels also contracts with over 30 car repair businesses in the region and spends $468,500 on car repairs and wrecker services each year.
- There are 17 nonprofit partners in Buncombe and the surrounding counties that collaborate with Working Wheels to identify the program participants.
- Economic impact of Working Wheels includes the hundreds of clients who are able to work as a result of their car purchases and repairs, plus the dollars spent with repair shops, towing companies, and other associated services.