Are There Car Donation Programs for Single Moms in NKY?
SCCC Began With Single Moms. That Has Never Changed.
In 2007, a small group of volunteers in Northern Kentucky started doing something simple: they provided free oil changes to low-income single mothers who had cars but couldn’t afford maintenance.
That was the entire program. A few people, a few volunteers, oil changes.
Nineteen years later, Samaritan Car Care Clinic has a three-bay shop on Madison Avenue in Covington. We partner with over 12 different NKY social service agencies to repair vehicles and — through our car donation program — place donated vehicles with families who need them most.
Single mothers remain at the heart of that mission.
What ‘Transportation Insecurity’ Looks Like for a Working Mom
Imagine this: You’re a single mother of three. You’ve completed a job training program and have just been hired for a role that pays enough to make childcare financially viable. You have a car — it’s old, it’s high-mileage, but it runs.
Then the radiator blows on the highway.
You have no backup vehicle. No savings cushion for a $1,200 repair. Your first shift is in two weeks. Your clinicals start in four.
That moment — and what happens in the days immediately after — can determine whether years of effort result in stability or starting over.
How SCCC Serves Single Moms Specifically Monthly Oil Change Events
Once per month, for clients referred by our social service partner agencies, Clinic volunteers provide oil changes, fluid checks, filter replacements, tire pressure checks — the maintenance that keeps a car running and keeps a mother’s schedule intact.
Shared-Cost Repair Program
For more significant repairs — brakes, tires, alternators — SCCC operates a shared-cost model. Clients referred to the SCCC are responsible for a deposit at the time of service and a monthly payment plan for the remaining balance of the invoice, interest free. The SCCC fronts the cost of the repairs using the funds we have received from donors and grants. The money paid back by clients goes back in the bucket to give a hand up to the next family referred to SCCC. The goal is not to do it for them, but to do it with them — preserving dignity and supporting self-sufficiency.
Donated Vehicle Placement
When a client’s vehicle is beyond repair, or when a referred family has no vehicle at all, SCCC and the referring agency work together to place a donated vehicle with the family. This is the program that depends entirely on generous people who have a car they no longer need.
How to Refer Someone — or How to Ask for Help
SCCC serves clients through a referral network. If you work at a social service agency in Northern Kentucky and have clients who need automotive assistance, reach out to us at 859-525-6240 or through samaritancarcare.org to discuss becoming a referral partner.
If you are a single mother in NKY in need of vehicle assistance, please reach out to a social service agency in your area — many of our 12+ partner agencies can provide a referral to SCCC.
How Donors Make This Possible
Every car donation to SCCC potentially becomes the vehicle a working mom needs to get to her next shift. Every financial donation helps cover the cost of a brake job or a set of tires for a family that couldn’t otherwise afford it.
Our lifts lift cars. Your gifts lift lives. And the mothers in this community — working, striving, doing everything right despite challenges — deserve that lift.