By: Kevin Eddings
Patryk Battle, news team correspondent, sat down with Eric Smythers, development coordinator at Working Wheels on the January 22nd edition of the Asheville FM News Hour. They discussed the effects of Hurricane Helene on the nonprofit sector.
For the past few years Working Wheels has been dedicated to those who are not able to get to work, school, and doctor’s appointments because they do not have a source of transportation, or those who struggle to afford car repairs. According to Smythers, everything has changed because of Helene, which forced the organization to pivot in their approach to helping people.
Smythers shares that Working Wheels was quite fortunate during the storm. “We had some water in our mechanical bay, and we lost some cars to flood-related damage, but we didn’t have any major damage to our workspace.” he said. With the nonprofit coming back, Smythers said they have two new initiatives.
In the first initiative, vehicles like pickup trucks or box trucks that are actively being used in relief efforts will be repaired for free. Smythers said, “If you’re from Mana Food Bank we have an application online. Please fill it out and we will be excited to help you get repairs to your vehicles.”
Regarding the second initiative, Smythers said, “We are taking raised money…and directly purchasing used vehicles to get [them] into the hands of people who have been most affected by the floods.”
Helene making national news had a positive impact on donations. According to Smythers,Money is better than cars because it is easier to use, rather than transporting a car from out of state. “We had people from California calling us up saying they wanted to donate a car,” Smythers said. “I tell them that’s a wonderful idea but if they want to sell the car and send us the money [that would be best], because that’s a very specific thing they can do.”
When asked if there’s an end goal in sight, Smythers said that they started GoFundMe for $500,000 and they have already raised over $300,000, which will help them buy thirty used cars for people who need them.
If you wish to donate to Working Wheels, you can go to their website, where there’s a link to the GoFundMe page. And if you’re local with a working car, Smythers says they will accept it if the title is in your name.
Listen to the full interview at the AFM Newshour Archive page.
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