(From left) Mechanics of Faith founder Jason Wells with team members Jeff Grant, Luis “Danny” Medina and Tony Carden
Jason Wells has a problem with the American Dream.
“The American Dream is a house with a white picket fence, but I don’t see a GRTC bus stop outside that fence,” he says. “We have built an American Dream in the heart of America that says, ‘Go buy a piece of property, buy a house, buy a car so you can get to and from work.’ We’ve built an American Dream that requires reliable transportation, but we don’t do anything to make that dream a reality.”
So Wells decided to do something about it.
More than a decade ago, he had T-shirts printed with the moniker “Mechanics of Faith” and began repairing people’s cars in his home garage, accepting whatever they could offer for payment. In 2018, Wells registered the effort as a nonprofit organization, seeking to help those for whom car ownership is essential but also potentially the road to financial ruin.
For example, he says, if a mandatory annual Virginia state inspection identifies repairs that run into the thousands of dollars, many people will simply drive with an expired inspection sticker and risk the citation. Or an owner may choose to pay a costly repair bill over other expenses, such as rent or food, because they have no other means of transportation. Even regular maintenance — an oil change, new brakes — can be beyond reach for many, leading to long-term damage or breakdowns.
As a nonprofit, Mechanics of Faith helps people with emergency vehicle repairs and ongoing maintenance. Labor is charged at roughly $80 per hour, compared with the national average of $150 per hour. Parts are priced without a retail markup, and in-kind donations, such as towing, are offered by local business partners. There’s also little overhead. For years, Wells operated out of his garage and a truck outfitted with repair gear. He moved Mechanics of Faith to its permanent location at 6229 Osborne Turnpike in 2022 after New Life Baptist Church offered the use of a garage on their property for free.
That decision was a no-brainer, says church pastor Lee Mitchell, noting that Mechanics of Faith is providing an essential service. “This is a tangible thing that people need every day: to get themselves to work, to get their kids to school,” he says. “This is ultimately about helping people who are struggling get back on their feet and back to a safe place.”
Tiffany Beard looks under the hood of her vehicle with Carden
Clients find Mechanics of Faith via word of mouth and through referrals from nearly 10 partner organizations. To receive assistance, clients must provide proof of SNAP or Medicaid enrollment. The organization employs a lead mechanic, shop hand and office administrator and also welcomes volunteers, many of whom come from Chesterfield’s Helping Addicts Recover Progressively, aka HARP, program. “When someone has a court date, we close the shop and go to court together,” Wells says. “We want to build camaraderie and the support network.”
Patrick Belcher, a consultant who advises nonprofits, says Mechanics of Faith goes beyond fixing cars — it’s building connections. “While [customers are] sitting there and somebody is working on their car, [they meet] people from referral partnerships who come by to check in. Or customers will start to have conversations with each other, and they realize they’re not alone. Somebody will share, ‘I’m struggling with this,’ and then somebody else tells them where to reach out. They make a difference to each other.”
With demand far outpacing the speed with which Mechanics of Faith can provide service, Wells is hoping to spread the word about the need for donations in any form: time, cash or cars. The organization will rehab donated vehicles and give them to people in need, then continue the relationship through low-cost maintenance.
“I struggle for donations,” Wells says. “People think, ‘You’re an auto shop; you don’t need money.’ But we want people to become life partners. What we don’t want is for someone to get a car, then get hit with a $2,000 repair bill and miss a mortgage payment. [The government’s message is,] ‘You have to work 20 hours a week to get food stamps, but don’t ask me how you’re going to get there.’
“Transportation is freedom,” he adds. “It’s not about the cars. It’s about the freedom to live, the freedom to do life.”
Never miss a Sunday Story: Sign up for the newsletter, and we’ll drop a fresh read into your inbox at the start of each week. To keep up with the latest posts, search for the hashtag #SundayStory on Facebook and Instagram.
