Dutchess County has granted three recipients a vehicle through a work program initiative called “Way to Work.”

For recipient Lisa Vasquez, the program was life-changing. She is a single mother who has struggled with job loss through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was actually working full time before the pandemic when the COVID pandemic hit,” Vasquez said. “Hours slow down at work, but then, you know, children weren't in school, so I had to take a leave from work.”

Vasquez says she was out of work for almost two years, and that she wasn’t able to work with her daughter being home schooled. So she had to find a part time job where she could walk to and from work.

It was also during that time that Vasquez heard about the “Way to Work” program offered by Dutchess County and took the necessary steps to apply for a vehicle.

According to Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, the initiative began two years ago. When state funding was halted, the county elected to keep the program alive.

Molinaro says he can identify with Vasquez’s struggle.

“I grew up on food stamps; my mom was a single mom,” Molinaro said. “I now oversee the department that my mother [utilized] … It is just … inspiring to see the hopefulness in their eyes, to hear the empowerment in their voice, and to know that they will always have us as a partner.”

When Vasquez, found out she was being granted a vehicle through Way to Work, she said she was thrilled.

“It felt amazing. You know, it made it seem like ‘OK, maybe this is a break.’ It's a new beginning,” said Vasquez.