St. Patrick’s Vehicle Donation Program

Have you ever been attached to your vehicle to the point of holding on to it long past it’s hey day? Well, I’m one of those people who got sentimentally attached to an inanimate object. Said object was the old family motor home. My parents had signed it over to me because they were too elderly to maintain it. I was excited to take it over, thinking that it would be a great renovation project and be able to continue the fun outings and camping trips that I fondly remembered with my mom & dad. But after a few years of not having the money, energy, or help to fulfill my dream, the poor old 1979 Monitor sat in the RV lot lonely and neglected. Although it still ran, dry rot had set in, and I finally had to make the difficult decision to part with it, when the registration became due.
Feelings of guilt and sadness took over, but fortunately, my parents supported me. After searching several options of what to do with such a large vehicle that was too old to sell, I remembered that St. Rose’s Catholic Church accepted donations for their orphanage and underprivileged children. Besides their St. Patrick’s Thrift Store located across the street, there is a vehicle donation center just down the street and on the same side as the church. They were one of the few places that we could find that would accept a motor home.
I was directed to Roger Abbott who is in charge of the donation facility and was kind enough to meet me on his day off. He brought all the required paperwork for the transfer and a signed receipt that I could use as a tax write off. $ 500.00 is the maximum write off that they can legally give. Unless it is resold for more than that price, then they will contact me with the increased amount.
The keys were turned over to them, and I watched with tears in my eyes as the motor home drove away, off to what ever fate that was in store for it.
That was 6 months ago, and it took me this long to finally write this review. Even now, I’m still sad that the motor home is not sitting in its space at the RV lot waiting for me to stop by, visit, and start it up every so often. It may have been dismantled into parts for all I know, but my hope and consolation is that it went for a good cause and maybe being used by someone who needs a place to live.