WHITEHALL, Mich — The owner of an auto repair shop in Muskegon County is looking to pay it forward to a family in need.
The Viking Garage in Whitehall is planning to gift a local family with a used Chrysler Town and Country minivan.
"I believe we have a duty to better our community if we get a chance to," said Charlie Mero, owner of The Viking Garage.
Mero says the van was brought to his shop in need of repair and they have fixed it up.
"This van kind of fell in our lap," he said. "Another customer had it and it was just sitting in her yard and she didn't want to fix it and so I got it for just a few hundred dollars."
Mero said the auto repair shop had planned to use it for a loaner car for people who have their car in the shop being repaired but then he had a different idea.
"It just hit me," he said. "This would be a great little van for a family."
Mero says this van would be a great reliable source of transportation for someone in the area for many years to come.
Mero is now looking for submissions of families or people who could use this van. He plans to put everyone's name in a hat and draw a winner.
If you or someone you know are in need of a vehicle, head to The Viking Garage on Facebook and comment a little bit about yourself or your friend and how the car would improve your life.
"I'd really like somebody local to get it," Mero said. "We've had a couple of people reach out from farther out and actually some really inspiring stories, a couple of them from farther out [from Whitehall]."
Submissions will be accepted through Jan. 20 with the winner being selected Monday Jan. 23.
He says whoever wins should plan on posing for a picture on delivery day. Mero says he was hoping to give the van away for Christmas but their schedule was too tight.