‘Share the Love Event' donates big locally
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — A local car dealership known for its philanthropy in the Valley donated more than $60,000 to local organizations.
Boardman Subaru presented a check for $39,229 to Akron Children's Hospital of the Mahoning Valley and a check for $23,042 to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley on Tuesday. The money was raised during the dealership's annual 'Share the Love' event.
'I've been here my whole life. This is truly a hometown local dealer, family-run,' said Boardman Subaru owner Rob Fellman. 'We're all part of the community.'
Since 2013, Boardman Subaru has generated over $440,000 for Akron Children's Hospital and Second Harvest Food Bank. This year's Share the Love event was no different.
'Every year during the Subaru Share the Love event, from November through the end of the year, everybody who buys or leases a car gets to choose between four national charities. There are also two local charities that we've partnered up with,' Fellman said. 'When you buy or lease a car, $325 goes to your choice of one of the six charities. Also, anybody in service who gets a routine service done — there's a contribution that goes to that as well.'
Tuesday's donation to the local organizations is the largest to date. The money for both will make a huge impact on the community.
'Since this fine organization has been doing this program and helping to raise money for the people in need, 500,000 meals have been produced. We were able to provide 500,000 meals with the money that's been donated by Rob Fellman and Boardman Subaru. That's significant,' said Second Harvest Food Bank Executive Director Mike Iberis. 'We operate in three counties: Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull, so there are thousands of people every year who are being affected and benefit from this donation. This is a big deal.'
The donation couldn't come at a better time for Second Harvest, which hasn't been immune to the effects of inflation.
'It's humbling to be here. It's humbling that we were chosen to be one of the recipients. For every dollar that we raise, we're able to provide six meals. Because of inflation, it went from ten meals for a dollar to six meals for a dollar,' Iberis said. 'So we just keep plugging every day, making sure that our 160 pantries are able to feed the people that come to them for help. We're hoping to just continue to do what we do, and with the help of someone like Rob Fellman, it's going to happen.'
The sentiment is much the same from Akron Children's Hospital.
'Every dollar raised in the Valley stays in the Valley, so this check will go a long way to supporting our operations. Taking care of kids right here in the Valley, at our Beeghly campus, and also at our Neonatal Intensive Care Units embedded in Saint Elizabeth Boardman Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital in Warren,' said Vice President of Akron Children's Hospital of the Mahoning Valley, Paul Olivier. 'We rely heavily on philanthropy because our motto and our promise is to turn no child away. So donations like this are very important to our operations. They help pay for staffing. They help pay for supplies. They help pay for things that families come to us in need. And, we're able to provide additional services, such as through our partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, now having our Food Farmacy.'
The Share the Love event is just one of many ways Boardman Subaru gives back.
The Share the Love event is just one of many ways Boardman Subaru gives back throughout the year. It's made donations to Mill Creek Park through the Subaru Loves the Earth initiative and donations to local schools through the Subaru Loves Education Program. Boardman Subaru has participated in Subaru Loves Pets with pet adoptions and is also involved with Operation Warm, which donates coats to children at local schools.
Fellman says all of it is truly a team effort, as his staff participates in all of the programs as well.
'It's real. We don't do it for the publicity. We do it because it's a real deal,' he said. 'We want to be a good partner to the community. We want to take care of our customers, and we plan on being here a long, long time.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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