Free Car Wash

Metro Express Car Wash in Nampa will hold a benefit for the Valley Crisis Center all day on Tuesday, May 4, offering free car washes to the public. Customers are asked to give a donation to the crisis center, which helps thousands of abused women and children every year.
"Every business has an obligation to help local charities and the Valley Crisis Center does good work in the community," said Metro Express owner Bill Martin. "We hope visitors to our Nampa wash give as much as they possibly can to assist the important work of the crisis center."

The Valley Crisis Center opened its current location in 2000 but has been in Nampa for over 25 years providing shelter, counseling, therapy, legal advocacy, case management and a transitional housing program. The center serves more than 2,000 people a year with an average stay of 22 days. Declining federal grants have reduced the shelter's budget by $190,000 over the past three years and its current budget is $437,000. The shelter employs 14 people, 8 of whom are full-time, and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All services are provided free to clients and no one is turned away.

"People usually come to us with nothing but the clothes on their backs," said finance director Bonnie McDaniel. "They are women and children who have been abused, or they been threatened, and they may have severe physical and emotional injuries. We survive on donations and grants and we appreciate any local businesses that come forward to help us."

Representatives of the Valley Crisis Center, the Nampa Family Justice Center and Metro Express Car Wash will be at the Nampa wash from noon to 1 p.m. on May 4 to answer questions from the media and provide tours. The Nampa wash is at the corner of Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard and Karcher Road.

The Valley Crisis Center (www.valleycrisiscenter.com) started with 20 beds and now has 63 beds. It also has a dining room, living room, children's area, commercial kitchen, counseling services and fenced yard and is fully accessible to people with disabilities. The shelter works closely with the Nampa Family Justice Center (www.nampafamilyjusticecenter.org). The center provides a variety of services for domestic and sexual abuse victims in one centralized location, including court advocates, counselors, clergy, legal aid, medical care, law enforcement and prosecutors.

When customers drive into the car wash, an attendant will inform them the wash is free and ask if they would like to donate to the Valley Crisis Center. The May 4 benefit will take place during the Nampa wash's regular hours, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Metro Express Nampa location opened in February, after four months of construction. Martin opened the first Metro Express location in Boise is in 2005 and a Meridian location in 2006. The washes have earned awards and drawn industry recognition for their environmentally conscious water reclamation.

Martin, a past president of the International Car Wash Association, has 40 years in the car wash industry and extensive experience in developing, building, and operating car washes throughout the country. Martin also owns J's Ultimate Hand Wash in Garden City and has operated about 40 other car washes throughout his career.