RAYTOWN, Mo. — Most of us view our car as a necessity. One Kansas City woman says her car was much more than that. It was her lifeline.
In 2013 someone donated a car to Sci-Tech Automotive to fix up for a victim of domestic violence living at Hope House. After seeing that story on FOX 4, someone else recently paid it forward as well.
“He took his frustration out on me, I became his punching bag,” said Lori, who was once a victim of domestic violence.
She says having a car was a lifeline for her while living with her abusive husband.
“I was able to get to out because I had a vehicle,” she added.
Lori turned to Hope House, a domestic violence shelter, for help years ago and has been away from her abusive husband for almost three years. But now, she’s having issues with the car that once saved her life.
“Always breaking down, or something’s always wrong with it, or it doesn’t want to work!” Lori said.
That made it difficult to care for her children properly.
“I have two kids that have some kind of disability, my middle son is autistic, my oldest son is epileptic,” said Lori, “If I needed to go to the hospital, I would always have to find a ride with somebody else, or I would have to call an ambulance, because I did not have a vehicle to get there.”
But that all changed Tuesday.
“You get to a place like Kansas City, and you have to have a car in order to get around,” said John Schupp, the president of Sci-Tech Automotive.
He says they have customers who donate cars they no longer want. He refurbishes the cars, then donates them to Hope House.
“They’re out of the house, got the kids in tow, maybe a suitcase, and it’s all they’ve got,” Schupp added.
Hope House gives the car to someone who really needs it. This time, they chose Lori, and she was given the keys to her car Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m still speechless!” Lori said, “I’ll be able to go and do things without having to worry about the vehicle breaking down, this will help.”
“A car can be a real life line, and sometimes its the difference between having a job and not having a job,” added Schupp.
“I feel blessed,” said Lori, “I’m going to go see my kids, everything is going to look up from now on!”
If you’re interested in donating an unwanted car, please call Sci Tech Automotive at (816) 313-1000.
The auto shop received a second car a couple of days ago and will be donating it to a family in need as soon as it’s refurbished.
Hope House can be contacted at 816.461.HOPE (4673).