Driven to Serve

“I was a broken man,” said Lion Bill Todd of Morro Bay, California.

His wife of 33 years, Jami, was in the final months of a relentless fight with cancer. Grief and caregiving consumed every ounce of him.

At his breaking point, Bill told his son and fellow Lion, Mike Todd, that he could no longer run Todd’s Garage — the business he had built from the ground up — or sustain the Car Giveaway Program, Morro Bay Lions Club’s signature service project.

“I don’t mean to just throw all this in your lap,” Bill recalled telling him. “But I can’t do this anymore. I need to be with Mom.”

Despite having his hands full raising two kids on his own, Mike didn’t hesitate. He looked at his grief-stricken father and said “yes.”

It was a decision rooted in a lifetime of love. He’d grown up in that garage, learning the trade from the man he admired most, while Jami had been like a mother to him since he was 11. As she faced the fight of her life, he knew the greatest gift he could give was the chance for them to spend that time together.

For Bill, that commitment meant everything. “Mike never looked back once,” he said.

A simple gesture

The car giveaway program began in 2014 with one beat-up Jeep.

As a mechanic, Bill often picked up vehicles in need of repair. That year, he brought one of them, a 1994 Cherokee with exterior damage, to the body work class he was taking at the local community college. He fixed it up as part of a class project.

Rather than sell the repaired vehicle, he chose to give it to someone who needed a way to get around. He called a local resource center to ask if they knew of anyone.

The answer was yes — desperately.

The Jeep went to a man who had been taking his frail wife — walker in tow — on 14-mile bus rides to her doctor’s appointments. Bill worried the man might be disappointed by the patched-up car, but instead, he broke down sobbing with gratitude.

“It brought a tear to my eye, too,” Bill said. “I didn’t truly understand how important cars were until that moment.”

For Mike, those handovers were about more than just turning over a set of keys.

“The excitement it gives the recipients almost ages them in reverse,” he said. “They can finally relax a little instead of stressing about transportation.”

From that first Jeep, the program grew. Bill and Mike started fixing up and giving away cars every few months. The effort made such an impact on the community that the Morro Bay Lions honored Bill with a Melvin Jones Fellowship — even before the initiative became an official club activity.

In November 2017, the club formally adopted the program, and it has since become the financial engine driving their service projects.

The program runs on both compassion and practicality: cars are donated by the public or purchased by the Morro Bay Lions Foundation. After thorough safety inspections and repairs at Todd’s Garage, the most reliable vehicles are gifted to people in need. Cars too costly to repair or maintain are sold, with proceeds directed to their club’s foundation to fund other service projects. To date, the program has turned nearly 50 cars into lifelines for people in need.

Circles of kindness

Years ago, when a stolen catalytic converter left Katie Tyndal stranded, she felt “in a lesser category compared to everybody else.” Without a car, she was dependent, diminished and stuck.

Then the Lions handed her the keys to a Toyota Camry.

“It immediately rises you up so many levels as far as how you feel about yourself,” she recalled. “I was so happy and so grateful, and I’m still grateful. It changed everything.”

Katie’s story carries another layer. She had been Jami’s closest friend for more than 30 years. When she began helping out at the garage, her support proved invaluable — especially as Jami’s health declined and the family needed an extra hand.

Today, Katie runs the office at Todd’s Garage and helps to run the car program. They helped her when she needed it most. Now she helps them help others.

Feeding a town

Nowhere is the program’s impact more visible than on Monday nights at the Morro Bay Veterans Memorial Building.

For the past 11 years, the Morro Bay Lions have never missed serving a weekly meal. Even when a winter storm flooded the town and knocked out power, dinner went on — by candlelight.

Each Monday evening, the hall transforms into a haven of community and care. The air fills with the comforting aroma of a hot meal, the sounds of feet and chairs shuffling, and an unmistakable sense of hope.

“The first question out of everybody’s mouth is, ‘What are we having for dinner?’” said Club President Linda Winters with a laugh.

Thanks to the support generated by the Car Giveaway Program, the Lions offer much more than a meal. Guests can “shop” for free groceries — fresh vegetables, meats and pantry staples. They can pick out clean clothes and even get a free haircut from a local Lion barber.

Each week, 75 to 85 people attend: families stretching tight budgets, seniors on fixed incomes, people battling addiction, and others simply seeking warmth and company. “The biggest benefit is it takes people away from the isolation of being home alone,” Winters said.

Guests often ask what they owe. The Lions love answering, “Nothing.”

Fueling the mission

 The Morro Bay Lions Car Giveaway Program has been so successful that applications for a free car have slowed as more needs are met. However, the program continues to raise funds for the Morro Bay Lions Foundation.

Since 2017, it has generated more than US$100,000, funding about 90% of their community service projects, including those Monday night community events.

“I don’t know what we would do without it,” Club Treasurer Chuck Stoll said quietly.

The car program doesn’t just put people back on the road — it sustains an entire ecosystem of service. It allows the club to feed families, fund scholarships, support clothing drives and strengthen partner programs throughout the community.

The road ahead

Bill admitted that in his retirement, he misses the garage — the tang of grease and exhaust, and the mechanical chorus that once scored his life’s work. But he has gladly traded his tools for pride, watching Mike not only run the family business but also carry on the program that began as his own small act of service.

“I’m proud as a peacock,” Bill said. “He is my Lion hero, for sure.”

Through it all, Jami’s presence endures — in the family’s memories, in Katie’s work and in the quiet truth Bill holds onto: “Service fills a void in your heart that nothing else can.”