By Robert Williams

Editor

The Friends of Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, Inc., received a sizable donation from R&G Subaru of Detroit Lakes as part of Subaru of America’s 2024 Subaru Share the Love® Event.

Over the last 18 years, through the Subaru Share the Love® Event, Subaru and participating retailers have donated nearly $320 million to charity, with customers choosing between four national charities and over 2,700 hometown charities.

The Friends of Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge’s mission is to support Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge through education, conservation, and advocacy to provide the foundation for an inclusive community bond that values the outdoors and the natural environment.

That mission is the primary reason R&G chose the Refuge for its donation this year.

“We chose Friends of Tamarac to support all those kids and teach them to respect and protect what God gave us,” said R&G Co-Owner Drew Larson.

The donation will help Friends of Tamarac provide funding and volunteers for programs like every year hundreds of elementary school children come to Tamarac for a day of environmental education activities led by Friends volunteers.

Subaru raises the funds by donating a portion of each vehicle sale during the allotted time period where customers who purchased or leased a new vehicle could choose to support one of four national charity partners or local hometown charities selected by their retailer. 

The majority of donations supported local charitable organizations, with over $23 million going to more than 830 hometown charities that resonated with Subaru owners and the neighborhoods they serve.

This year’s donation total puts R & G Subaru over $300,000 mark in contributions to area organizations since the start of the share the love event.

R & G Subaru has proudly supported the following charities through past six years of the Subaru Share the Love Event.: Becker County Food Pantry $38,500 last year, the Boys & Girls Club of Detroit Lakes $25,000 in 2023 and $20,715 in 2021, Lincoln Education Center and Detroit Lakes Public Schools $24,013 in 2022, the Humane Society of the Lakes $23,572 in 2020, and the Detroit Lakes Public Education Foundation $24,707.79 in 2019.

In April, Subaru of America Inc. announced that the 2024 Subaru Share the Love® Event raised a record-breaking $31.7 million in donations, its highest contribution amount in company history. Now in its seventeenth year, the Subaru Share the Love Event has brought in a total of nearly $320 million and continues to advance the automaker’s efforts to be More Than a Car Company®, benefiting charities and communities across the country.

“Ensuring that our annual Share the Love Event is a success requires true collaboration and teamwork toward a worthy cause,” President and Chief Operating Officer of Subaru of America, Inc., Jeff Walters said. “This past year’s record-breaking initiative achieved far more than just raising funds for deserving organizations—it helped spread love and support in meaningful ways. None of this would be possible without the incredible dedication of our retailers, customers, and employees, whose shared values made 2024 an impactful and memorable year for communities nationwide.”

For more information on the Subaru Share the Love Event, visit www.subaru.com/share.

More info on this year’s local recipient can be found at www.tamaracfriends.org