Donating a Travel Trailer to Weather Victims

TJG0501

New Member
Joined
May 20, 2017
Messages
7
Suggestions, please.
I have a 2023 Coachmen Apex Nano 215RBK, fully serviced, cleaned and ready to tow. It is a good fit for 2 people.
I want to donate it to someone trying to live in weather hit areas of NC, OK or elsewhere who lost their homes to weather. I will tow it to where it is needed.
I'm looking for a group or organization working in that area to help identify eligible people.
The groups I've contacted are being flooded with calls, and no one has returned my contact attempts.
Ideas, please? Thanks.
 
Welcome to the forum, I see it is your 1st post!

I have no suggestions but good on you!
We had a hard time finding the proper channels to get food/water clothing to those folks.
Let us know if you find any details that will help others.
 
Welcome to the forum. Its hard finding the proper folks to get a hold of for the info you are looking for. Good luck and great your looking out to help the folks that need it. Later RJD
 
There was a way to do that during covid for health care workers that had to isolate but Idont remember what it was called. do a internet search.
 
First: What a great idea, thank you for your kind thought.

Second: It would be nice if you could target the recipient, and you probably can't. Many of the FEMA trailers were ruined shortly after delivery because the recipients knew nothing about trailer systems and maintenance.
 
I’m sure it would be welcomed by some organizations. I think a big problem is going to be somewhere to hook it up to services for long term use.

I truly hope you succeed. You are a kind person and karma is on your side.
 
During 9/11 some in my area tried to do the same thing. The need was there, but the logistics were not. Some just loaded up their trucks and personally succeeded in their mission at the area of damage. One person I know who was the owner operator of a dump truck just drove down to NYC and joined the procession of dump trucks hauling debris away (he ended up being paid in the end by the gov).


My point being, I am sure if you take the travel trailer to the area it will be much easier to find a legitimate organization to facilitate a legal transfer of ownership to needy people once they see that what they are getting isn't just a piece of junk. The issue with the organizations you tried to contact is that many of the calls they receive are from concerned people who in the end can't fulfill their desire to help for one reason or another. Good luck.
 
Then again I recall the stories of the private individuals who flew helicopters to NC to real time rescue stranded people. The pilots were threatened with arrest by local officials for "interfering" with the official rescue organizations. It can be frustrating doing the right thing.
 
Tax implications

A thought on the
"Fair Market Value" (FMV) of the donation.

If you intend to take a tax deduction for the donation, I suggest you get a written appraisal of the value of the RV. An RV that new depreciates quickly, and to make a defensible claim of the value on your tax return, it would be good to have some sort of official 3rd party appraisal.

You might also compile what amounts to "blue book" values for the rig from a variety of sources icluding JD Power and so on.

Declaring a donation of this type is certainly worth the effort when it comes to your taxes. But if you give the rig to a charity, they cannot legally establish FMV on your behalf. They can give you a receipt that states that you donated the rig, and that YOU estimated the value as $XXXXX.xx. But that holds no water with the IRS. It is your responsibility to determine the value that you claim and to substantiate it in some way.

Meanwhile, donating the rig to an INDIVIDUAL is NOT a donation. It's a gift, and it's not tax deductible.

This is far afield from your question, but it's germain to how you can mitigate some of the cost of making the donation by getting a charitable gift tax deduction. If the rig's FMV is $25,000 and your marginal tax rate is 20%, the tax deduction coiuld save you about $5000 in taxes. Actual numbers will vary.

I've been doing this work, including accounting, fundraising, and executive management for nonprofits for nearly 25 years.

Finally, a disclaimer necessary in situations like this.
I'm not an attorney or a CPA, and this is not counsel. For qualified counsel, please contact an attorney or CPA.
 
Trailer

We are in East Tennessee close to the hard hit areas. Asheville has lots of help but there are numerous small towns that are still without power and water and many without homes. Our neighbor is originally from Swannanoa North Carolina and her family is still from that area. she makes trips weekly bringing supplies. Today they brought filled LP tanks. She was working today with an outfit that is preparing places for volunteer workers who are coming in and building tiny homes for the homeless. I can get you information if you still need it and or she works through a church there that has been a center for help. There are numerous villages that were devastated. If you still need or desire information, let me know what info would work best for you. I can get you in contact with her, or the church or a place to bring the trailer.
Thank you so much The need is great
 
We are in East Tennessee close to the hard hit areas. Asheville has lots of help but there are numerous small towns that are still without power and water and many without homes. Our neighbor is originally from Swannanoa North Carolina and her family is still from that area. she makes trips weekly bringing supplies. Today they brought filled LP tanks. She was working today with an outfit that is preparing places for volunteer workers who are coming in and building tiny homes for the homeless. I can get you information if you still need it and or she works through a church there that has been a center for help. There are numerous villages that were devastated. If you still need or desire information, let me know what info would work best for you. I can get you in contact with her, or the church or a place to bring the trailer.
Thank you so much The need is great

X2 Areas of East TN were also nearly wiped out but with little media coverage help is less....................
 
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I am also in eastern Tennessee and last night there was a news story about donating travel trailer’s to hurricane victims.

Contact Carter County TLC Community Center in Elizabethton TN

Thanks for helping seams like western NC got most of the help and Eastern TN got forgotten.

I spent 3 weeks cleaning up our place and it will take a year or more to get it back to close to were it was.

And we are the lucky ones no house damage.
 
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Contact Sumaritans Purse:

Samaritan’s Purse
PO Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
828.262.1980

X3

Me and a group of guys traveled to Ashville, NC area to help out however the week after. Samaritan's Purse was doing so much good down there and they were very organized. A lot of the local churches may be a good point of contact as well.

We helped with flooded homes in Swannanoah and those people were hit hard. Lost everything and NO flood insurance. It was amazing to see the communities pulling together for each other.
 
Found A Recipient for RV

I'll be towing my RV to the Cajun Navy in Bryson City, NC. They have RVs at Camp Living Water with full hookups!
I saw them on X/Twitter, contacted them and got an immediate response.
They are using the RVs as temporary housing for people looking for permanent housing.
I'll follow up later with how the trip went. Thanks to all for replying.
 
Jim, thanks for all this info. I did not know the part about donating to an individual vs. a corporation.
In this case, the Cajun Navy will be doing the paperwork, and my RV folks have given me a good resale value estimate and put it in writing.
I do NOT want to get the IRS worked up and I appreciate your help.
 
I wish to thank you for your kindness. If I could afford another trailer, I would do the same.
 

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