Donate your car

If you have an old, or no longer needed car sitting unused in your driveway, here is an opportunity for it to benefit homeless youth.

The Donate Your Car programme operated by Kids Under Cover, an organisation providing assistance and accommodation for homeless young people, puts donated cars to auction on a regular basis to help raise money for its services.

The auctions are conducted in Melbourne by vehicle auction specialist Manheim every six weeks and don’t include only cars: Donated vehicles during the programme’s five years of operation include trucks, motor cycles, trailers, boats, scooters and caravans.

100 per cent of the net proceeds go directly to Kids Under Cover. So far, more than 400 cars have been donated to the programme, with more than $260,000 raised since it started in 2006.

Arranging to donate your car to the programme is very straightforward. After registering with Donate Your Car on the website, it will be collected within seven days by Manheim prior to being put up for auction.

The money raised goes towards preventing youth homelessness by building homes and providing scholarship funding and mentors to vulnerable young people in Australia.

Kids Under Cover says that nearly 4,000 young Victorians are homeless every night. Across Australia that figure rises to 105,000 people homeless every night. In the last year, a growing number of families has been seeking aid from homeless services.

“There has been a significant increase in families presenting at homeless services. These services have reached critical point. The longer a family is in unstable or inappropriate accommodation, the greater chance there is of family breakdown and disengagement of the children from both family and the education system.  Kids Under Cover’s mission is to try and intervene and provide a solution before that happens,”  says Jo Swift, Kids Under Cover CEO.

For more information on the Donate Your Car programme, ring 1800 801 633 or visit the website. It is also possible to donate directly to Kids Under Cover by visiting the charity's website.

Worth noting is that a donated vehicle valued at more than $5000 allows the possibility of a deduction on your tax return.

Even you don’t have an unwanted car, Donate Your Car suggests you regularly check the organisation’s website listing vehicles due to be auctioned for a possible bargain.

Key to pics: Brodie Harper (Channel 9) Ken Morgen (Kids Under Cover Founder), Bernie (mascot), Matt Taylor (Kids Under Cover Young Ambassador), Jo Swift (National CEO Kids Under Cover)

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...