Melissa Irizarry couldn’t hold back tears when she saw her free 2005 Chevy Malibu for the first time. The vehicle was donated by document shredding company ProShred Arizona and presented at Community Tire Pros & Auto Repair’s metro location at 2751 West North Lane.
Irizarry, a single mother, and enrollee for the Helping Hands for Single Moms Program was in need of a new car after she was told her old vehicle’s engine, brakes and AC were broken and would require $8,500 in repairs to fix.
Helping Hands is a program that provides financial assistance for single moms while they attend college.
Irizarry said that being donated a car was a boon for her and her family.
“Being given this car is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” Irizarry said through tears. “I don’t have to spend everyday wondering if my car is going to run. I feel so special and my appreciation runs deep.”
ProShred Arizona Co-Owner Patty Caradonna was happy to donate the 2005 Chevy Malibu which held sentimental value as it was her late father’s and it was most recently driven by her son Nick Caradonna.
Patty Caradonna said she was overwhelmed by the reaction of Irizarry after receiving the vehicle.
“It was an amazing feeling seeing how happy she was,” Caradonna said. “It felt good to donate our car to such a deserving person.”
Irizarry is currently an English Major at Arizona State University and is scheduled to graduate this August. She hopes to one-day work as an immigration lawyer.
The day also featured a charity document-shredding event sponsored by ProShred Arizona and Community Tire Pros and Auto Repair. Attendees of the shred event could securely dispose of four bankers boxes of documents for a donation of $5/box. All donations went to the Community Tire Garden.
ProShred Arizona shredded over 6.75 tons of documents and raised $2,150 for the Community Tire Pros Community Garden.
The non-profit Community Tire Garden is dedicated to serving the local community with free seasonal fruits and vegetables. All food is donated to the Joshua Tree Feeding Program a local nonprofit feeding the homeless and terminal HIV homebound patients.
