Thursday morning Family Promise of Carbon County Director Natalie Bojko drove a brand-new 15 passenger van to the Third Street Lehighton office to start transporting families in the 90-day program.

The 2015 Ford Transit 350 with Eco-boost had less than 100 miles on the odometer when Bojko arrived at the Tom Masano Ford dealership in Reading."It's a smooth drive and feels more like driving a car. It's very modern," Bojko said.The van's price tag was an estimated $35,000. The funds were donated through a grant awarded by Hazleton-based First Federal Charitable Foundation.Family Promise Board President Tina Dowd applied to the nonprofit organization for a grant to purchase the vehicle before the potentially hazardous road conditions of the changing seasons could become an issue."Sometimes we pick up moms right from the hospital with their brand-new babies," Bojko said."We went from a 1999 van to a 2015," Bojko said. "It has a lot of safety features. It'll be safe for winter."The nonprofit is able to help families in need through a network of churches all over the county."A lot of our churches can be up to 20 minutes away. It's a lot of driving," she said.The van will transport the women and children of Family Promise up to four or five times a day, Bojko said."It'll be a trip (to churches) there and back two times a day along with trips to doctors appointments," she said."We have some wonderful congregations who do the hard work of hosting and preparing meals for the families. This will make their job a little easier with visitors being able to arrive in one trip," said Family Promise Church Recruitment Committee Chairman Neil Makhija.The foundation's executive director, Megan Kennedy, said it was important to help the Carbon-based 501c3 before the colder weather sets in."We really wanted them to have a brand-new and safe vehicle," Kennedy said."People in need is our number one cause."The seven board members of First Federal Charitable Foundation have been working to serve Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon and Columbia counties for 20 years and have awarded $4 million dollars since 1996.Family Promise board member Gary Matson expressed gratitude to the couple who helped facilitate the grant and vehicle purchase."I just want to thank Tina and John Dowd. They work so hard and they didn't want any accolades," he said.The board also extended a big thank you to Jim Thorpe business owner John Drury for his donation of the 1999 Dodge Ram Van used by the nonprofit to transport families before the recent donation."I drove that sucker," said board member Heather McClure."I don't think I've ever driven anything like it," she said with a laugh."It was roomy and without it we wouldn't have made it this far," said board member Jean Papay.The van will not be put out to pasture, however. Papay said she is sure it will still be used for the daily needs of the families."There's a lot of charities, so for the federation to pick us is pretty amazing," Bojko said.Fueling the safe transportation vehicle will come from fundraising efforts and donations, according to the director, with the average amount spent on gas for the van at an estimated $55 per week.Family Promise's next fundraising event will be Party for the Cause in November at the Palmerton Sokol Hall. For more information on the event or how to donate, contact Bojko at

FPCCDirector@gmail.com.