Fort St. John business gifts family a car for Christmas

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local business has spread some holiday cheer by gifting a car to a family in need.

In an announcement shared on Facebook and sent to Energeticcity.ca, Highway 97 Towing and Mechanical revealed the winner of its ‘Christmas Car for a Family in Need’ giveaway, following a community-wide call for nominations.

Leslie and Mike Melville were ultimately selected as the recipients of the vehicle on December 16th, a 2010 Mazda 6.

Dana Pasichnyk, who owns the business alongside her fiancée Kenny Murrell, told Energeticcity.ca choosing a recipient was no easy task.

Pasichnyk said the business received submissions from across the region, and even beyond, but worked through a careful review process to narrow the list.

“We were really looking for families that were genuinely without a vehicle, people who were walking and pushing kids in strollers in -40 C weather,” she explained. 

“There were so many families, it just was too hard to pinpoint one without bias.”

After multiple rounds of discussion, the final decision ultimately came down to a draw among several finalists.

Two runners-up were also recognized in Highway 97 Towing’s post, one of whom being Rose Lisk.

Nominated with what the company described as a “very sweet letter to Santa” written by her granddaughter, Pasichnyk said that particular submission stood out.

“That one touched our hearts,” she said, adding the business provided the family with small gifts, gift cards and offered to look at the Lisk’s vehicle in the new year to see how it could help.

Highway 97 Towing and Mechanical thanked everyone who took the time to submit nominations and shared their stories, noting the overwhelming community response.

“If I had 20 cars to give away, I would have,” Pasichnyk said. “There were so many families in need.”

She added the business hopes to make the giveaway an annual tradition.

“That’s definitely the plan, every Christmas, if we’re able to do it,” Pasichnyk said.

Moose FM, which is owned by Energeticcity.ca’s parent company Moose Media, was a sponsor of the initiative.