Hudson Honda General Manager Chris Tropiano presented the North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) with a brand-new white 2012 Honda CR-V and a free one-year lease on Feb. 2 as a part of their “Fueling the Community” promotion run on the business's Facebook page.

NHCAC is a local non-profit that provides free or low-cost health care to needy local residents around Hudson County. They have offices in Union City, West New York, and beyond.

Honda officials chose the NHCAC along with the Rebekah Verea Foundation (based in North Bergen) and the local chapter of the Boys and Girls Club of America, and posted the three as contenders in the contest on the company's page in August.
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The car will be used to transport patients.
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The organizations were then voted on by other Facebookers, and in January, the NHCAC won by 377 votes. They had the option to choose between a check or a car, and the organization chose the car.

“We look forward to driving the car as fast as we can – I'm just kidding,” NHCAC CEO Chris Irizarry said. “We are very grateful and will be using the vehicle to transport patients from site to site. Not many businesses, especially in these economic times, think to give back to the community.”

NHCAC Director Odalys Valdes was excited about their new SUV. “A lot of our patients, particularly the elderly, don’t have the means to get to and from our different locations,” she said.

Driving force behind the gift

Tropiano thanked the NHCAC for their extensive contributions to the community. Hudson Honda had originally offered a C-RZ in their contest, but because the car is so small and the NHCAC planned to use it to transfer multiple patients, they adjusted their plan and upgraded to the roomier CR-V.

Tropiano found the concept of a Facebook contest for charity a little odd at first, but when he realized it could be used as a positive tool, he went along with it.

As for the selection of the organization over the other two charities, “It’s like asking which of my four sons is my favorite,” he said, before those who gathered at the event at NHCAC’s 31st Street headquarters in West New York.

“And quite frankly, unlike the charities, they’re all a little strange to me,” he added as those who chuckled.

This was the trial run for Honda’s “Fueling the Community” program. They plan to run similar contests every three months. They will reveal their next three charitable contenders within the next few weeks, and the Facebook votes will be tallied in May.

“It’s all about family and all about working together as a community,” Tropiano said. “We have to take care of each other. We have to watch each other’s back.”

To see the new contestants and vote, check out Hudson Honda’s Facebook page by signing in and searching for “Hudson Honda of West New York, NJ.”

Gennarose Pope may be reached at gpope@hudsonreporter.com