Neighbors Driving Neighbors enters fourth year with needed grant money

BELGRADE — Neighbors Driving Neighbors, a nonprofit organization that provides free transportation for adults will use the $5,895 grant it received in December from the Maine Community Foundation to help with scheduling, increase riders and support the seniors and others who don’t drive, so they can live in their homes and towns.

The organization provides volunteer drivers to help seniors and others who don’t drive get to errands, exercise sessions, medical appointments, shopping, socialization or volunteering in Belgrade, Fayette, Mount Vernon, Rome and Vienna.
The organization is celebrating the beginning of its fourth year. It began in November 2015, when it provided three rides. By the end of 2018, 46 drivers had driven 102 riders on 2,395 rides and had gone 47,860 miles.
The heart of the organization is the volunteer drivers who pick up the riders. They have given more than 2,342 hours of their time. The organization’s drivers don’t merely drive, they provide friendly, respectful, safe, door-to-door transportation that allows people to stay in their homes and provides respite for their families.
Riders have said that it’s a relief to know they can get a ride when they need it, and it’s “a good experience, with real country village sociability.”
Neighbors Driving Neighbors is managed by an all-volunteer board of directors and two part-time coordinators. The coordinators really care about both the riders and the drivers and do many other much-needed tasks. NDN depends on grants, such as this one from Maine Community Foundation, individual donors who have been very generous and supportive, and fund-raising events.
Those who live in the five towns the organization serves, need transportation, are interested in becoming a volunteer driver or would like to donate, may contact NDN at neighborsdrivingneighbors@gmail.com or by calling the coordinators at 207-860-0677.
For more information, visit neighborsdrivingneighbors.org.