Five years ago, Kristy, a single mother from New Hampshire, was in a tough spot. She was caring for her young son and struggling to find paid work while receiving temporary government assistance. But she didn’t have a car, which made it nearly impossible for her to get out of her financial slump.

Luckily, someone stepped in to help her with her dilemma: Good News Garage, a local nonprofit group. The organization works in Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, taking donated cars from people who no longer need them, and servicing them so that they can be given to low-income people in the area. For many low-income families, especially those in more rural areas, lack of adequate transportation is a huge obstacle in finding work and running other basic errands. Since its founding in 1996, the group has helped more than 3,000 families become financially independent.

Kristy drove the car for more than four years, and managed to turn her life around. She has another child, and is now working as a preschool teacher. When she decided to upgrade her vehicle, she remembered the kindness that she had been shown, and decided to pass the favor on by donating her Subaru back to Good News Garage, so that another family would be able to benefit from her charity.

“I loved that Subaru, it was my baby and I'm glad someone else will be able to use and love it! Everybody needs help in different ways, so I try to give back...pay it forward",” she told Good News Garage.