CHERRY HILL, N.J., -

Subaru of America recently kicked off its fourth annual “Share the Love" charity event.

Subaru will donate $250 for every new  vehicle sold or leased through Jan. 2 — up to $5 million in total support —  to one of the following five charities: American Forests, the ASPCA, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Meals On Wheels Association of America and Special Olympics.

Since its inception, Subaru has donated nearly $15 million to charitable causes through the program.

Subaru is also inviting its social media contacts to participate.

The automaker is inviting its Facebook community to participate, potentially raising up to $250,000 in additional support for the five charities.

Facebook users can take action by visiting the "Share the Love Charities" tab on the Subaru of America Facebook page, the company explained.

Then, users can choose the charity they want to donate to. By submitting a vote for that group, the charity will receive a $1 donation from Subaru.

"Share the Love is rooted in our commitment to our customers and the causes they care about the most," said Alan Bethke, director of marketing communications for Subaru of America. 

"We are pleased to continue the program for a fourth year and are excited about the expansion to the Facebook community,” he added.

After submitting the vote, the donator can see what percentage of votes her chosen charity has received.

Interestingly, one of the chosen charities was actually picked by the automaker’s Facebook fans.

Recently, Subara of America asked its fans to vote for one of four charities — Teach for America, The American Red Cross, The Children’s Miracle Network and The Make-A-Wish Foundation — to find this year’s “Peoples Choice”

After the results came in, The Make-A-Wish Foundation was added to the four charities that Subaru has already chosen as beneficiaries.

Highlighting the charitable beneficiaries of this year’s “Share the Love” campaign in greater depth, Subaru offered the following information:

—American Forests: Restores and protects rural and urban forests worldwide. It is the oldest national conservation nonprofit in the country and the only one focused exclusively on forests.

—The ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals): Works to rescue animals from abuse, pass humane laws and share resources with shelters across the country.

—Make-A-Wish Foundation: Grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. It has granted more than 212,000 wishes in the United States since 1980.

— Meals On Wheels Association of America: Provides national leadership to end senior hunger, offering home-delivered-meal services to people in need.

—Special Olympics: Provides year-round sports and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.