Jillian smiles as she gets her new donated vehicle through SVdP.

Travelling around the Bay Area without a car can be challenging – for a single mother of three young kids like Jillian Wilson, it was a complete nightmare.

“About a year ago things just spiralled out of control,” Jillian said. “I lost my job, I was working as a caretaker, and then soon I lost my place and then my car. It’s just been hard to get myself out of this hole.”

With three young children, ages 10, 6 and 1, Jillian struggled to get by without a car. She said having to rely on public transportation to get to and from work, while also having to care for her children, made holding down a good job difficult.

“Everything is just harder without a car, like if my kids need me while I’m at work, I can’t just quickly go help them,” Jillian said.
In February, Jillian received a car through St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County’s Auto Donation program.

“This new car means everything to me,” JIllian said. “With this car I can find a better job, I can be there for my kids. And gosh, I can go grocery shopping without having to take the bus. You don’t know what a nightmare is until you’ve gone grocery shopping for four on the bus with your kids in tow.”

The SVdP Auto Donation Program matches families in need with vehicles generously donated by people throughout Contra Costa County. As SVdP receives vehicle donations, we work hard to make sure the car is matched with a family that can receive the most benefit from the vehicle.
“This car has really opened up a whole new world for me, and for my kids,” Jillian said. “It’s just been such a struggle to get anywhere and do anything. I’m so relieved and so grateful, it’s hard to express. I just want to say thank you to St. Vincent de Paul.”

When you donate a car to SVdP, you are changing the lives of your neighbors in need right in your own backyard. A car you no longer have a need for can be the lifeline for which a family in need is desperately waiting.

To find out how you can donate a vehicle and transform a life, call (925) 439-5060 or visit:

www.svdp-cc.org

Together we can end poverty one person, one family, one community at a time.