MEDIA NOTE: Photos and Video from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (December 18, 2025) – On Wednesday, December 17, a Lancaster-area single mother received a life-changing early Christmas gift—the donation of a beautifully refurbished vehicle to help care for her family. The donation was made possible by the NABC Recycled Rides® program, car donor GEICO and repair partner Faulkner Collision Center.
The presentation took place at Faulkner Collision Center in Lancaster, PA. This is the eighth life- changing donation where Faulkner Collision Centers have teamed up with GEICO to change the life of a local Lancaster-area resident in need.
The recipient was nominated by Clare House. Clare House is a transitional housing program where mothers and children facing homelessness can receive the safety, support, and respect they deserve –while starting their journey toward a more stable, more rewarding life.
“To receive this gift is such a blessing,” said the recipient, Melinda Thomas. “I can now have some assurance in my life that I have a reliable car to get myself and my kids where we need to be. It’s a huge weight off my shoulder.”
A 2020 Honda CR-V EX, donated by GEICO and refurbished by the technicians at Faulkner Collision Center, was presented to Melinda Thomas. Sheis a single mother of two children in need of a vehicle to commute safely to work and care for her special needs child. She has been limited in her ability to transport her children to school and therapy due to unreliable transportation. Thomas is also limited by the current cost of a newer vehicle, in addition to the cost of the services needed to care for her children. This refurbished vehicle from NABC Recycled Rides® will allow Thomas to start college classes as she looks to further her career in the medical industry and have a higher income job.
GEICO, a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has donated more than a thousand vehicles to people and organizations through NABC Recycled Rides, making it the largest car donor partner of NABC Recycled Rides.
Faulkner Collision Center, an I-CAR Platinum Certified repair facility, has refurbished dozens of vehicles for people in need in the Lancaster area through the NABC Recycled Rides® program.
Additional partners in this presentation include: NAPA, LKQ, Faulkner Nissan in Harrisburg, Copart, Enterprise, Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity
NABC Recycled Rides® is a unique program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the NABC Recycled Rides® program in 2007, members of the National Auto Body Council® have donated more than 3,500 vehicles valued at some $51 million.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL AUTO BODY COUNCIL®
The National Auto Body Council® is the premier organization of collision industry partners dedicated to strategic networking opportunities that positively change lives in the communities we serve. The collaborative membership of the National Auto Body Council® has gifted more than 3,500 vehicles and provided extrication opportunities for some 6,000 First Responders in communities around the country through NABC Recycled Rides® and NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™). That effort equates to a 4:1 ROI in dollar value delivered from NABC® membership dollars.
The NABC Changing and Saving Lives Foundation, a 501c3 organization, is committed to the goal of driving change for veterans, military members, first responders and families in need, while harnessing the power of the collective membership of the collision repair industry to positively impact communities where we live and work. As demand for NABC® programs like NABC Recycled Rides® and NABC F.R.E.E.™ grows, so do the needs for resources to manage these important programs. Being able to pursue grants, gifts and donations allows NABC to expand these programs to serve those in need and help communities where we live and work. For more information, visit www.NationalautoBodyCouncil.org.