What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:30am - 5pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm Thursday 8:30am - 5pm Friday 8:30am - 5pm

The Lift Garage

A nonprofit auto shop aimed to move people out of poverty by providing low-cost car repair in the Twin Cities area. We are grateful for all of your support!

With the support of our incredible community of donors and volunteers, The Lift Garage has grown to complete over 1,250 repairs! We have added 3 full time employed mechanics, a full time Executive and Operations Director, are open Tues-Saturday every week. Since opening in April of 2013, we have saved low income Minnesotans over $465,000 in car repair costs! We continue to seek grants and addition

al funding so that we may continue to meet the high demand of car repair and reduce our waiting list. If you would like to make a donation, head over to the donation page on our website: www.theliftgarage.org/donate.

08/21/2026

Did you know you could potentially double your monthly donations to The Lift Garage?

Thanks to our partnership with Double the Donation, it's easy for donors to see if their employer will match their gift and double their impact.

Thousands of companies match donations made by their employees to organizations like ours. Top donation matching companies to The Lift Garage:

General Mills
3M
Polaris
nVent
Dell
The Toro Company
Ecolab
Wells Fargo

See if your employer will match your donation! Follow the link below to our Matching Gifts page to check your company's program and find everything you need to submit a matching gift. Thank you for going the extra mile for The Lift Garage!

https://www.theliftgarage.org/ways-to-support/corporate-matching-gifts/

08/19/2026

Meet Megan, our newest auto technician! While she just joined us in June, you’d never know it – she jumped right into inspecting cars, recommending work, and completing repairs to keep customers’ cars running safely.

Megan loves the puzzle of figuring out what causes an issue with a car, the satisfaction of making a successful repair, and the gratification of seeing the problem resolved. She’s proud of working at The Lift because she gets to help give families peace of mind knowing that if something happens to their car, it doesn’t have to break the bank or put them out of commission. She explained that “this is a group of people who share the same goal. We want to help people and change the stereotype about shops taking advantage of people, or upselling things people don’t need.”

When she’s not wrenching on cars and problem-solving, Megan loves spending time outdoors with her family, thrifting with her kids, and is a total movie buff. She’s an artist, too, making time to paint whenever she can…but says that with a 5-year-old, a lot of her creative expression is done via finger painting and other craft projects.

Like this post to give a warm welcome to Megan!

08/13/2026

Last week, we celebrated an exciting milestone with our partners at Environmental Initiative – Project CAR’s 1,000th repair! As a founding partner garage for this innovative program, we were honored to gather with other nonprofit, business, and governmental partners for a ceremony held at our shop!

Launched in 2017 and now partnering with 14 garages across the state, Project Clean Air Repair (CAR) helps income-qualified Minnesotans access free repairs to vehicle emission systems, which can often be costly. When money is tight, customers might prioritize safety repairs and forgo repairs to emissions systems. Through partnership with Project CAR, hundreds of customers at The Lift have had repairs completed, free of charge, to help everyone breathe a little easier.

08/11/2026

Sunny Minnesota summers offer a hidden benefit at The Lift – we harness the power of the sun to power our shop, thanks to the solar array installed on our roof! Last month alone, we generated enough power to run a single-family home for 4 months! Since installation in 2022, we’ve generated 105.11 MWh of power, which is enough to power 10 average homes for an entire year!

Beyond reducing utility costs, our solar array helps us lighten our environmental impact. We recognize that the auto repair business generates a lot of hazardous waste, even when disposed of properly. Our hope is to make necessary safety repairs just a little friendlier on the planet.

08/06/2026

The Lift’s Sustainer raffle is back! All through August and September, when you make a sustaining donation of at least $25/month or increase your existing gift by at least $15/month, you’ll automatically be entered to win a $500 Delta gift card!

Why become a Sustainer at The Lift?
🚗 Join a community that’s committed to keeping their neighbors safe on the roads.
🔧Build generosity into your budget! You’ll be making an impact all year long.
✈️ You might just score a $500 Delta gift card for your next getaway!

Winner will be drawn and contacted on October 1, 2026. Learn more about sustaining giving and sign up here: https://give.theliftgarage.org/campaign/626787/donate

08/03/2026

📣 EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 📣

Friends, we are so excited to invite you to our annual fall fundraiser, Gear Up for Good! Join us on September 14th from 5 to 8 PM at Arbeiter Brewing Company, where we'll come together to celebrate The Lift and raise money to support low-cost car repair for our neighbors! Learn more and get your tickets here: https://give.theliftgarage.org/event/gear-up-for-good-2026/e809633

07/30/2026

A head gasket is a critical component of your engine, providing a seal between the engine cylinder heads and the engine block to keep combustion gases, coolant, and oil separate from one another...so if it blows, you could experience overheating, loss of engine power, or even permanent damage. Scroll through to learn more about the importance of keeping your engine in shape. If you suspect you might have an issue, it's important to get help!

07/28/2026

When you donate to The Lift Garage, you make a direct impact on the lives of our customers and families like Dave and Judy!

After a devastating fall at a job site, Dave was unable to find consistent work. Medical bills quickly piled up, and everyday life became increasingly difficult. Dave and his wife Judy called The Lift Garage when their 1998 Ford E150 started breaking down – they were worried that due to its age, it wouldn’t be worth fixing.

The Lift provided a free mobile van inspection, determined that the issues could be fixed, and offered repairs for just $350 – at a nearby shop, the cost would have been in the thousands. Back on the road, Dave and Judy were able to stay connected to family, friends, and loved ones – bringing their beloved dog Sammy to the vet, visiting local bike trails with their grandchildren, and helping their daughter move.

The Lift counts on generous support from donors to fuel this important work. Will you make a gift today to support families like Dave and Judy’s?
https://give.theliftgarage.org/campaign/809199/donate

07/23/2026

Have you ever looked at the sidewall of your car tire and wondered what those numbers and letters mean? They provide a lot of information! This example shows “P 185/75 R14 82 S" on the side of the tire. Let’s break down each part from left to right:

•Tire Type: “P” stands for Passenger, meaning it is to be used for primarily passenger vehicles. Another code example is LT for “light truck tire” for carrying heavy loads or towing trailers.
•Tread Width: Following the letter(s), the first number "185” indicates the tread width in millimeters.
•Aspect Ratio: Next is "75” which identifies the tire profile or aspect ratio. This is the “height” of the sidewall.
•Construction Type: The next letter is the tire’s internal construction. In the image, the letter is “R” which means “radial wheel diameter.” The two-digit number after the letter will be the wheel diameter (in inches). This is also your rim size.
•The final numbers/letter refer to load index and speed rating.

When you are asked for your tire type or size, you can typically just refer to the first group such as P185/75R14. Comment what letters and numbers are on your tire(s) and what they mean!

07/20/2026

Donate your car to The Lift Garage!

Have a car you don’t want or need anymore? Did you know The Lift Garage takes car donations?

The Lift Garage accepts vehicle donations through our partnership with Charitable Adult Rides & Services (CARS). CARS makes donating your car easy. They take care of everything from the pick-up and sale to sending you the donation receipt and necessary tax documents. CARS sells your car at auction, and The Lift Garage receives 60-70% of the proceeds!

Vehicles eligible for pick up:
🚙Cars
🛻Trucks
🏍️Motorcycles
🚐RVs
🛥️Boats

Vehicle donation pick-up is always free to you and most vehicles can be picked up within 24-72 hours. To start a car donation, head to this link and fill out the form: https://careasy.org/nonprofit/The-Lift-Garage

Address

2401 E. Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN
55406

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+16128665840

Website

https://www.theliftgarage.org/

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