NABC® Members Farmers Insurance and Heppner’s Auto Body and Glass Donate Refurbished Vehicle to a St. Paul Veteran in Need Through the NABC Recycled Rides® Program

The NABC Recycled Rides® Presentation Took Place Recently in St. Paul.

MEDIA NOTE: Photos from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE.

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL  (December 18, 2024) – On Friday, December 13, a U.S. Army veteran of campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan experienced a life-changing event – the presentation of  a vehicle to provide him independence and the ability to support his family – thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with car donor Farmers Insurance and collision repair partner Heppner’s Auto Body and Glass.

NABC®, Farmers and Heppner’s Auto Body presented a fully refurbished 2021 Subaru Forester to Kevin Hardaway.

Kevin Hardaway served his country for eight years, much of it in war zones. Since his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, he has finished college, and he is now working for FedEx. His goal is to become a police officer. Ironically, although he drives all day for his job, until now he did not have a personal vehicle.  This NABC Recycled Rides® donated vehicle will make it possible for him to get to V.A. and other appointments and, most importantly, to see his seven-year-old son, who lives with his mother.

Hardaway received the keys to his vehicle at the shop where the skilled technicians restored it to excellent condition.  Heppner’s Auto Body has served the Twin Cities’ for more than 65 years. The six locations are owned by the Klatt family, who take pride in the skill of their estimators and technicians and the satisfaction of their customers.

“We know finding a reliable vehicle can be difficult for many people, let alone veterans returning to civilian life,”said Laura Jacobson, co-vice president of Heppner’s Auto Body and Glass.  “Heppner’s Auto Body is proud to be even a small part of the journey for local U.S. Army veteran Kevin Hardaway. The team at our Midway-St. Paul shop was so excited to be able to repair and give this car to Kevin to make transportation worries a thing of the past. This is the best way we can think of to thank him for his many years of service.”

“At Farmers®, we are dedicated to giving back, serving others and making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work,” said Farmers Insurance® spokesperson Carly Kraft. “During this season of giving, we are proud to be able to help a deserving veteran gain reliable transportation through this donation.”

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 $50 million.

Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation include Morrie’s Brooklyn Park Subaru, Southeast Towing, Auto Images, Xtreme Cleaning, Advanced Vehicle Solutions, Fairway Mortgage, LKQ, PPG, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Napa Auto Parts, FindPigtails.com, US Auto Force, Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity, Copart, and Enterprise.

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®, NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™) and the NABC® Community Impact program. 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.