Scottsville Auto Group recently donated a brand new Nissan cargo van to The Mustard Seed to help support their School Lunch program and other charitable programs.
The Mustard Seed currently delivers lunch to over 385 students across 31 schools in the Red Deer area, and the previous vehicle being used needed over $8,000 in repairs.
“It doesn’t run very well and it doesn’t have a lot of heat in the winter time,” Mustard Seed Managing Director Byron Bradley said. “We are thrilled to partner with Scottsville Auto Group.”
Garrett Scott of Scottsville Auto Group said he was shocked when he heard the amount of need in the community.
“They have a bigger hill to climb than we do as car dealers,” Scott said. “They have a lot to do. They support so many people and I was blown away with how much they were doing with what they had before. Hopefully they can expand their reach and get those meals into children’s hands and people who need it the most.”
The Nissan van is worth nearly $40,000 and Scottsville included a five-year maintenance package.
“This vehicle can’t be down. There are too many people that need the services,” Scott said.
Bradley said the van will support many programs, including the day-to-day support of clients at The Mustard Seed,
“We help people with new furniture and beds when they are are moving out and also many different types of support. It will help us immensely,” Bradley said.
He added, “We can’t do the work we do without help from the community. It is such an amazing gift.”
The Mustard Seed inherited their school lunch program from the former Loaves and Fishes, which had provided lunches in Red Deer for over 20 years.
“It started with them doing five lunches per day,” Bradley said. “When we came to Red Deer in the Summer of 2016, they were making about 250 lunches and we are now doing upwards of 385 lunches. It is volunteer driven. We had over 4,600 volunteers come through our doors this year.
“They start making lunches at 7 a.m. with fresh products from amazing businesses here in town, and then have volunteers delivering the lunches out. We are really relying on those volunteers.”
He added, “A lot of kids and families rely on this crucial program that we are honoured to be a part of it.”
todd.vaughan@reddeerexpress.com
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