By Kenneth Barilari
#HipNJ spoke with Charles Napoli, President of C&L Auto Body, about their recent decision to give back. Along with GEICO Insurance and Toyota of Hackensack, they donated a vehicle to someone in need.
The donation was a joint venture. GEICO Insurance found the car, which Napoli describes as “a total loss.” It was completely gutted. Toyota of Hackensack donated around $3,500 worth of parts, and the C&L Auto Body crew did the labor, from paint to body work.
The recipient of the 2010 Toyota Camry was selected by Family Promise of Morris County. “We offered them the car, then they internally picked someone who they felt would benefit most from having the vehicle,” Napoli says. Family Promise of Morris County is a non-profit organization that provides housing to the homeless population.
A young woman named McKenzie Walsh was chosen to receive the vehicle. Walsh, a client of Family Promise since March 2015, was in an adverse situation. She and her daughter were homeless and without hope of a brighter future. Since then, she has secured an apartment and a job.
This is not the first time C&L Auto Body did this, and it will not be the last. “I enjoy doing it. It’s fun to get a vehicle and have it be a joint effort,” Napoli says of his experience working with GEICO Insurance and Toyota of Hackensack to make this possible.
There is a lesson to be learned from this selfless story. “To me, it’s taking something that is basically useless for someone else and changing it into a real life-changing thing for a person in need,” Napoli says.
To learn more about C&L Auto Body, head over to their website.
