MOORHEAD — Matt's Automotive Repair is carrying on a holiday tradition of giving back to the community. This is the fourth year the company has hosted the event.
On Friday, Nov, 27, workers spent the day fixing cars and giving them up to $2,000 worth of repairs for free, making a huge difference to the people that rely on them.
For Chris Dodge, 2020 proved to be an especially difficult year. His 22-year-old daughter and his grandmother both died less than a week apart of a heart condition. Because of these tragedies, vehicle repairs have been at the bottom of his list of priorities.
"My upper and lower ball joints, my heater, (and) my transmission is going out," Dodge explained.
Dodge also said his tires are going out as well. His wife, Tina Dodge, heard about Matt's automotive day of service on the radio, and submitted an application for her husband.
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"He has such a good heart, and likes to help everyone else out, so I thought I would try to do something nice for him," Tina Dodge said.
Out of over 500 nominations, Chris Dodge was one of 10 people who received the $2,000 worth of repairs free of charge.
"I never thought in a million years it would be me," Chris Dodge said. "I don't think I ever win anything."
Twenty-five car technicians spent the day fixing and repairing cars.
"Vehicle repairs are really expensive, and they come at the worse possible time in people's lives," said Vernon Newman, Matt's Automotive general manager. "If we can just do one thing by taking that problem off of their plate, and helping them get back on the road safely, it means the world to us and hopefully get them in the right direction to better their lives as well."
Newman says many of the people that applied were very deserving of the free auto repair.
"They all deserve to catch a break in life, especially during this crisis that we've been having this year, and everything in life," Newman said. "Catching a break on vehicle repairs, or maybe taking one problem off their plate is really important to us."
Chris Dodge was very thankful for the service he received.
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"It's definitely a bright spot in a rough couple of weeks, (I'm) so very, very thankful."
