Cars for Good: Toyota program connects Canadian Toyota dealers with local charities

Toronto, Ontario — With an increasing number of people across the country relying on charitable services during the COVID-19 pandemic, many community organizations have found themselves in need of a reliable vehicle. Responding to that need, Toyota Canada and its dealers across the country developed Cars For Good, a program supporting local charities with free short-term vehicle loans or other delivery services.

Many Toyota dealers across the nation have already made an impact on their communities by loaning their vehicles to local charities.

Clarington Toyota in Bowmanville, Ontario, took advantage of this program by loaning an all-wheel drive Toyota RAV4 to the Bowmanville Older Adults Association which was forced to temporarily close during the pandemic. The non-profit organization shuttles seniors to and from appointments as well as providing various social services.

“The Bowmanville Older Adult Association is blessed to be a proud community partner of our hometown Toyota team here in Clarington,” said Angie Darlison, Executive Director of the BOAA. “With the closure of our facility and the cancellation of our Wheels in Action program, it was a true blessing to have Matt and his team step up to assist with a variety of transportation needs for our membership during these troubling times.  Their efforts are so appreciated.”

Clarington Toyota General Manager Matt Gleed said the first call they made was to the BOAA and they were happy to be able to provide a safe, clean and reliable vehicle to help seniors in the community get around.

“The BOAA is an important staple in the community for our seniors, by creating social programs, as well as programs to assist seniors with shuttles to and from appointments, getting them to the centre and home,” Gleed said. “Being able to utilize a nationally branded program while impacting people’s lives in a positive way during these hard times made the decision a no brainer.”

The Cars for Good program started in June and ran through to the end of July, with Gaspé Toyota, Don Valley North Toyota, Ste-Foy Toyota, North Bay Toyota and Destination Toyota also taking part.