Call-A-Ride program needs help!
Call-A-Ride or CAR, is the Council on Aging of Buncombe County's volunteer transportation program that provides rides to seniors who can no longer drive or use public or community transportation (Mountain Mobility).
Our volunteers use their own vehicles to transport folks primarily to their medical appointments (the greatest need) and then to other necessary appointments, including the occasional grocery store trip.
The majority of CAR's clients tend to be in their 80's and quite frail and they need the personalized service CAR can provide. The volunteer will pick them up at home, take them to the doctor, in most cases wait with them, and bring them home again, perhaps via the pharmacy if they need to stop. It is a tremendous relief to most of our clients to have somewhere to turn when they can no longer use their vehicles. We are a society dependent on our cars, and we take them for granted, not thinking twice when we need to go to the store to get a gallon of milk, but when we lose the ability to safely drive ourselves, we lose our independence and can become isolated and homebound.
The Council does not charge for this service but does accept contributions which help with the reimbursement we offer to volunteers of 45 cents per mile.
CAR is desperately short of volunteers at the present time. The average trip lasts 1½ to 2 hours, and most volunteers offer at least one trip a week. If you would like to help out or just have questions, please call Joan Maxcy at (828) 277-8288. The trip may last 2 hours but the good feeling you get afterwards will last for hours!
