Organizations partner to present Macon single mother with her own car

Standing in the hot parking lot of Five Star Collision Center on Riverside, Ericka Hill was all smiles as she circled her brand new car — a 2017 Honda HRV — taking it all in with an expression of both relief and joy. 

After spending the summer Ubering and walking to work, she received the new car through United Way of Central Georgia, in partnership with GEICO, the National Auto Body Council (NABC) and Five Star.

“I’m so excited. I’m grateful and thankful,” the single mother of two told The Melody. “We have a means of getting my daughter where she needs to be. I have a means of going to work, going to the grocery store, doctor’s appointments.”

As part of  NABC’s Recycled Rides program, GEICO finds a vehicle – sometimes a stolen theft recovery car – and partners with a business to repair the car to fully working condition. 

“It’s a pretty good thing for people in need,” said GEICO’s Mark Mimbs, who noted that the company is well on its way to reaching its goal of giving away 200 cars countrywide in 2024. 

Once GEICO had found a car and partnered with Five Star for repairs, searching for a recipient became the next step and United Way of Central Georgia COO Carl Tims knew just the right person.

“When it comes together and works well, it’s beautiful,” Tims said of the collaboration process with GEICO, Five Star and NABC.

Hill, who had been without a car since May, works as a security guard at United Way of Central Georgia’s headquarters in the Peyton Anderson Community Services Center. 

She is what Tims calls an Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) individual.

Those in the ALICE population bring in a salary above the federal poverty level, but below a liveable wage. Broken down cars along with other costly expenses can lead to a domino effect of financial hardship for folks like Hill.

This is the reality for 35% of Bibb County households, according to data from United for Alice, of which nearly 14,000 are Black households — more than any other race in Bibb County.

United for ALICE originated with the Northern New Jersey branch of United Way and aims to collect data on income and cost of living to paint a numerical picture of financial struggles in America. 

The Central Georgia branch began utilizing the ALICE framework a year-and-a-half ago and since then, they have sought opportunities to provide support to members of the ALICE population. 

“This vehicle will create a lot of memories for you, I’m sure, as you and your family travel all around the Southeast,” Tims told Hill, handing her the keys.