CONROE – One Conroe non-profit is now having to deal with a set back that is costing them thousands of dollars, after thieves broke in, stole a vehicle and rammed it right through their gate, causing damage to both the gate and the vehicle.
God’s Garage helps restore and repair donated vehicles to give to single mothers, wives and widows of deployed military.
“Without a vehicle like that to pick up other cars, it sets us back,” Executive Director Justin Coggins said.
It was a setback that the organization was not expecting.
In fact, God’s Garage started after its founder saw a woman and her children walking on the side of the road. Coggins said when the founder ask why they were walking, the mother said it was because she had a car in a shop and couldn’t afford to get it back. The founder gave her a ride, took her car from the shop, and being a car lover, he repaired it and gave it to her. That, Coggins said, was the start of the organization.
“Our goal is to provide reliable vehicles for single mothers, widows and wives of deployed military,” he said. “And so, these vehicles are donated to us and so we want to turn around and gift this to them at no cost,” Coggins said.
The hard work gets done on 13 acres of land in Conroe, by the hands of dozens of volunteers spreading goodness and love.
“Last year, we were able to gift 100 vehicles and then we repaired 60 at no cost,” Coggins said.
However, Tuesday around 4:15 am, Coggins said the unthinkable happened. Thieves hopped over the gate and took their organization’s pickup truck, which is used to haul vehicles and to meet people donating cars.
“[The thieves] came in on foot, hopped the fence, found a vehicle, and turned around and just rammed our gate,” Coggins said. “We had no idea if we were going to find it, and it is a big part of what we do.”
So they took to social media.
“We got to put God in everything that we do. And so what the enemy meant for evil, God turned around for good,” Coggins added.
Their post got shared hundreds of times. Not long after, their truck was found crashed in a forest in Willis.
“In the trees, beat up, the steering column ripped out,” Coggins said. “They crushed the whole front of this truck.”
A lot of work needs to be done. As for the gate, it’s destroyed.
“I’m thinking it’s $10,000 [in damages] to get it repaired,” Coggins said.
But he says nothing will stop them from their mission to help those in need.
“Christ loves them, the community loves them, the list is long but we’re doing our absolute best!” Coggins said.
Coggins said they are always looking for donations of vehicles to repair and gift to mothers, wives and widows of deployed military.
For more info, visit GodsGarage.org.