We recently connected with Joanna Murray and have shared our conversation below.

Joanna , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The Lord put on each of our individual hearts years ago, a compassion to help single moms, women struggling or those just trying to create a new life for themselves after past struggles. Fast forward a decade or more of talking and praying about it, and Midsouth Hope Garage was created in 2020. After becoming involved in the foster and adoption worlds, we saw how many women weren’t able to parent their children because of difficult life circumstances. While transportation isn’t the complete answer to solving this problem, it can play a large factor in being able to maintain a job with stable income, break dependence in unhealthy relationships, seek treatment for medical issues or addictions and also provide a dependable way to ensure their children get to school and home safely. Public transportation isn’t always reliable in Memphis and few options are available other than Uber in the rural towns. When you are living on a fixed income, paying for transportation can at times cost you a day’s wages. We wanted to be part of the solution in offering these deserving individuals a second chance.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Ben Murray and Jeremy Brummer both grew up working on cars. They each had grandfathers and dads that taught them the trade and passed on generations of wisdom. They both have felt led to use their mechanical gifting to give back to others. Midsouth Hope Garage was the perfect avenue. Ben and Jeremy diagnose each car that is donated and make a list for our volunteers of each item and part that needs attention. They oversee every repair on every car that is donated back out. While we currently all have other full time jobs, our desire is to open a full time shop in the near future to be able to offer discounted repairs for those we serve. While we are currently limited on time and resources, we have seen this gaping hole in our community in offering affordable car repairs from a reputable and trustworthy source while in a timely manner.

Have you ever had to pivot?

We recently had to revise policies in how we accept applications. Because we are a small, part-time ministry, our time and resources are limited. While the need has proven great across the midsouth area, we must make certain we stretch our resources to our best ability. Previously, we accepted applications from anyone with a referral; however, we are limiting that range beginning in January 2024 to a approved list of referral sources. We want to make certain that those we are helping are involved in another local program that will continue supporting them on their journey to success.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Because we are the only organization in our area that provides vehicles, word spread quickly across the nonprofit realm. While Memphis has its faults, we have never seen a city with more resources and people who love well and want to help others. We are so thankful for our partner referral relationships and the work that we get to do together.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.midsouthhopegarage.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midsouthhopegarage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidsouthHopeGarage