YAKIMA – Sunrise Outreach Center of Yakima is a non-profit group working to feed the hungry and house those with nowhere else to turn.  In the course of fulfilling their mission, the group relies on a van to transport volunteers and food to various distribution locations throughout Yakima.  Their previous van, donated by Church on the Move, was well past its prime and could no longer be considered reliable.

“We used that until the doors were literally hanging on the sides of the van and we almost had to hold them on just to drive down the road,” said Dave Hanson, Sunrise Outreach Center’s Executive Director.  “The van was definitely falling apart, but we used it a lot and we drove it a great many miles.”

Hanson let Sunrise Outreach’s supporters know a replacement was needed and talked to Pat Carey, owner of Carey Motors in Yakima.  Carey Motors has been a long-time supporter of the group and their employees also assist with Sunrise Outreach’s “sandwich ministry”.  Carey found out about a van at Frank’s Auto Sales in Yakima and had Pat Beehler, Used Car Manager for Carey Motors take look at it.  

Beehler liked how it was equipped and decided they should buy it for Sunrise Outreach.  Both Carey Motors and Frank’s Auto Sales contributed to the cost of the van.  The van was then run through the shop at Carey Motors to make sure it was completely serviced and ready for the road.  Carey Motors has also committed to taking care of the van anytime if it needs service.

“They know when it’s time for an oil change or service or anything that needs to be done to it that we’ll take care of it,” said Beehler.

“I thought that was incredibly generous on their part,” said Hanson.  “It is nice to be able to have a vehicle that I can rely on for the volunteers, and the comfort in knowing that they are not going to run into any mechanical issues while they are on the road.  It’s been huge for us to have a reliable vehicle, and this vehicle is totally capable of getting up on the highway and going just about any distance we need it to go.”

Part of the reason for Carey Motors generosity with this donation are the experiences their employees have had while assisting with Sunrise Outreach’s “sandwich ministry”.

“I think the thing that touched us was there were some kids that were still attending high school, they’re still getting to school, they’re still trying to get their education but they were homeless,” said Beehler.  

“We don’t do this for a lot of up front glorification, we just enjoy doing it, and it helps the people, that’s why we’re doing it,” he added.