Concord Repair Shop Owner Fixes Donated Vehicles To Help Feed COVID-19 Victims
CONCORD (KPIX) -- A small business owner in Concord is turning his ability to repair cars into a way to feed people struggling during the shutdown.
Dave Kemnitz co-owns D&H Enterprises, a car repair shop in Concord. Twelve years ago, as members of Rotary International, he and his wife Mary began a car-donation program to raise money for charity. That's when they learned a hard truth.
"(People) donated 32 cars in a span of three months and (Rotary) ended up with $800 in their pocket," Dave said.
Most for-profit car-donation programs send vehicles directly to auction where they often get pennies on the dollar, with most cars ending up at junkyards being sold for parts.
But Dave began putting his auto-repair skills to work, reviving broken-down cars and selling them for up to ten times their auction value.
"We were getting cars that didn't hardly need a thing," Kemnitz said. "I would ask the donor ... what's wrong with the vehicle? 'Well, do you take cars that need a battery?' You know, that kind of thing."
Instead of hundreds of dollars, they were getting tens of thousands. And what's been done with the money has been remarkable. Rotarians sponsor health clinics in Mexico and Africa and they've adopted an entire village in Uganda. And they donated 56 cars to people who lost theirs in the Camp Fire that destroyed much of Paradise, California.
Then the COVID-19 outbreak hit.
"When I saw the people stacked around the block, lining up for food, it broke my heart," Mary Kemnitz said.
So the car donation program has shifted gears again. The Clayton Valley Sunrise and Lamorinda Rotary Clubs are making a joint commitment to donate $100,000 to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.
"The number of people having a need for food has grown exponentially over the last month," said Chris Ruzicka from the Clayton Valley Rotary Club. "And so we see a need to help support them and put more money into the system."
Once again, it will be Dave's "Cars 2nd Chance" program that will supply the funds.
When they opened a car repair shop, Dave and Mary probably didn't realize they would one day be philanthropists but that's what happened. And, they say, even though they might not be rich, their lives are richer for it.
"It's times like this, when there is a disaster where ordinary people like Dave and I, like the members of the Rotary, we get to be extraordinary," Mary said. "Because we're jumping out of the box and we're doing things we never thought we'd be doing."
Car donations are only tax deductible for the price a donated vehicle actually sells for so, ten times the price also means ten times the deduction.
If you have a car you might like to donate go to: CarsforFoodBank.com for more information.
