Luxury white BMW gifted to Lodi House

Last week, a local nonprofit serving women and children in the community received the surprise of a lifetime when a resident gifted the organization a luxury automobile it could sell as part of a fundraiser.

“My first reaction was that it was just amazing to receive such a generous gift,” Lodi House executive director Shelby Young said Monday. “This is a beautiful donation that will go straight to helping Lodi House.”

The car — a white 2011 BMW 328i — was donated to the nonprofit by Stockton Realtor Randy Thomas, Young said.

Thomas, a Realtor with Cornerstone Real Estate Group in Lincoln Center, was unavailable for comment Monday.

A volunteer with Lodi House was familiar with the value of automobiles and how to sell them for their proper value, Young said, and they placed an ad on Craigslist.

According to the ad, the car is in excellent condition and comes equipped with a navigation and phone system.

The BMW has only been driven 89,000 miles, and Car-Fax valued the vehicle at more than $12,000, the ad states.

Young said Lodi House is asking for $10,250, and 100 percent of the proceeds will be used specifically to expand the organization’s program benefitting homeless women and children.

Program expansion includes providing women more career training, and children more homework help, to better prepare them for new lives as they adapt back into the community, Young said.

To provide more service to clients, Young said proceeds from the vehicle sale will also be used to provide her staff with additional training to help clients move on.

“Clients sometimes stay with us for an average of four months,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re spending every possible minute with them, to help them prepare for their new lives. This will help our clients become stronger and more independent.”

The ad for the vehicle was placed on June 19, and Young said she received interest from several interested parties within days.

She said she hopes to have the car sold by Friday.

While most donations come in the form of checks or cash, Young said some local restaurants and wineries have gifted coupons and discounts for auctions.

In 2017, All-Air replaced the organization’s air conditioning unit at no cost, Young said.

However, she said the non-profit has never received a gift as valuable as a luxury automobile.

“We’re just thankful members of the community have stepped forward like this,” she said. “We’re grateful for the out-of-the-box ways community members want to donate. I hope others see this and think of similar ideas to help.”

Established in 1999, Lodi House provides stability, training, accountability and renewal for the homeless women and children it serves, as well as develops healthy lifestyles for its clients that will lead to employment and independence.

For more information about Lodi House, call 209-334-6346 or visit