Purchase of former Moore & Carter Lumberyard keeps Cars4Vets vision alive

YALE — The former Moore & Carter Lumberyard building on Morrell Street in Yale, east of the A&W, has sat vacant for years. 

A local military veteran with a burning passion to help his fellow brothers and sisters was searching for a way to expand his vision, Cars4Vets, to a larger facility. Turns out, it was a match made in heaven.

For the past five years, Brockway Township resident Mark Rebeaud has been using all of his spare time to make it possible for veterans in need of a vehicle to receive transportation, courtesy of generous donations of vehicles and Rebeaud’s mechanical talents. Although his vision and dreams of starting this kind of program first touched his mind while serving in the U.S. military, Rebeaud says a fight with COVID-19 is what spurred him on.

“I first started thinking about this while I was still in the service, but then I got COVID really bad and that put things on hold,” said Rebeaud. “I mean, I was talking to my dead father. I was in really bad shape. When I retired from the military in 2006, I just kept putting it off and lived life, but the whole time, I still had this burning idea that I wanted to take action on.”

Still battling the effects of COVID-19 that included a hospital stay, Rebeaud pulled himself together, dressed for being outside despite his temperature of 103 degrees, and started working on his first vehicle at 4:30 a.m.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Rebeaud recalled. “I was so excited about this. I had to get going with it.”

That kind of determination led him from working on vehicles in his own garage to the recent purchase of the 8,000-square-foot former lumberyard. There is another 2,000-square-foot chunk of land on the exterior of the building.

“I still can’t believe this,” Rebeaud said as he walked through the newly purchased building. “I’ve wanted more space for some time and this is more than I ever dreamed of and is just perfect. I was going to build a building on my property, but when I started putting a pencil to the math of costs, I honestly believed this was a better option. The concrete alone was going to be at least $15,000 if I put up a pole barn. 

“This building is in great shape. It’s very sound, with no leaks that I have seen and there is so much potential here. Not just for cars, but for all kinds of opportunities to help veterans,” he said.

Rebeaud, saying he saw a need to give vehicles to veterans, began working on his first vehicle in 2021 to help a veteran friend out.

“I was going to do one car, maybe two, a year. Well, we see where that took me,” he said. “I got a hold of a Marine buddy of mine and told him the idea I had. Mark, it’s a great idea and you have no way of knowing this, but I am sitting here next to a fellow Marine veteran who is in desperate need of a vehicle.”

An individual had donated a Monte Carlo SS, and Rebeaud was able to make the needed repairs, eventually turning the keys over to a very happy veteran who was extremely emotional and thankful.

“I do a little background work, to make sure there is a real need and then we move forward,” Rebeaud explained. “A vehicle might need body work, minor engine work, brakes, that sort of thing. I make the repairs and if I can’t, then I have a friend who is a certified mechanic who has been very good to me and helps me out at a very reasonable price.”

The retired veteran says he is now averaging two vehicles delivered per month.

“We have picked up five cars in the past 10 days,” he said. “It’s really taken off (the business) and become very popular. If we see a need, we are going to help. It’s that simple. There is a long waiting list of veterans requesting help. I have a rolling waiting list, adding and deleting names all the time. The need is huge. I’m only one person doing this, generally. I tell veterans if my list is full, to call me back in 60 to 90 days and I let them know if I can get them on the list.”

With the layout of the new building, Rebeaud will be able to stage donated vehicles in an outside storage area and bring a few vehicles in at a time, storing them in individual bays where the repair work will be done. 

Additional space in his recently purchased building provides for what Rebeaud hopes will be other forms of support to veterans, such as a food pantry, gently used appliances, and a support space where veterans could stop in and visit with each other.

“A lot of what veterans deal with is the mental side of things. I have friends who can help with counseling and we want to work with local agencies such as Suicide Prevention and others, to provide free services to those in need.”

Most recently, Cars4Vets has had a busy few days.

“On Oct. 4, Terrance Mullee (my volunteer for the day) and I drove all the way to Moran, Michigan, in the UP, to pick up a 2014 Ford Fiesta,” said Rebeaud. “This vehicle has been well maintained and runs and drives excellent; we drove it all the way home. The body and paint definitely need love, so stay tuned.”

The Upper Peninsula trip was just the start of a busy stretch of vehicle pickups.

“Last night, at lunch, I picked up an originally owned 2010 Avenger from Joe S. in St. Clair, a retired Local 375 Mopar employee and associate I worked with for many years. That one has a pretty major issue but we’re going to try and save it. And finally, [Oct. 6], I picked up a very nice running 2008 Ford Explorer from Kris in Emmett. This one will be very nice, once repairs are made. The last two vehicles I delivered directly to the new building this morning,” he said.

Rebeaud, who will travel across the state to bring donated vehicles back for repairs, says he has talked about using a portion of the building for a Veteran Resource Center, where the focus will lean heavily into PTSD awareness and veteran suicide awareness and prevention. 

When asked how people could help with his venture, Rebeaud said he is planning on buying three car lifts for his building.

“… [B]ut if someone is out there and has one they want to donate to us, that would be amazing. We have donation slips of all kinds available. Monetary donations are gladly accepted, vehicles, tools, light bulbs. We need a lot of things to make this all happen. We’ve got a lot of demo work to do here. If people want to come and help out, they can contact me.”

Rebeaud says he welcomes phone calls if anyone wants to help work on the building or make a donation. Interested parties can reach him at 810-304-0100.