HARRISBURG, Pa. — Cindy and Jeff Case met when they were serving in the Coast Guard, a little over 30 years ago.
They said they enjoyed the work they did during that time -- mainly being able to help people.
“I always had the feeling that I was doing something for the benefit of everybody, you know?," Jeff Case says. "For the common good of everybody, I had that feeling."
That passion to help others continued after serving when they learned that a friend of Cindy’s needed help.
“A co-worker of my wife that was on a fixed income, financially struggling and she got a large repair bill based on the inspection of her car one time, and she just could not afford to get the repairs done," Jeff Case says. "So I had been doing my own car repairs at the time and decided that we could help her out with that."
After that, they figured there were probably more people in the Harrisburg community who also needed a helping hand.
“So if we could form a non-profit and maybe help some of those folks keep their cars on the road and keep it safe, I thought that’d be a good thing," Jeff Case says.
The couple formed the non-profit organization Good Karma Garage in July to assist those who are financially struggling and ensure they have a safe vehicle.
"I don’t want people to have to worry about getting a bill and say do I put brakes on my car, or do I put food on my table for my family. That’s not a decision somebody should have to make," Jeff Case says.
The organization has been able to help single moms, seniors and more recently veterans.
“It's folks that have fallen on hard times," Jeff Case says. "They have trouble coming back from the military you know PTSD or other issues that just cause them to sink into a hole, so a lot of times it’s getting them a good job, it’s getting counseling, and things that they need to get their minds in a good place, it’s making sure they have transportation to get to and from the job."
The organization is currently trying to raise money through a GoFundMe to help a veteran who is in need of a new car due to repairs being too expensive.