I grew up with a mom who didn’t drive. Running down to the store for milk wasn’t an option. She did the grocery shopping on Saturdays when my dad would drop her off, go home and mow the lawn, and then come back for her. When I got my license at 16, I became her source of transportation. It was great. She could go shopping or to the bank–or wherever–whenever she needed to, and I had a ’69 Chevy Impala to drive!

Now I get into the car whenever I need to, and off I go. I don’t really think much about it. Hardware store? No problem. Drive to Brattleboro for dinner? OK. Many of our N2N care recipients, however, don’t have those options. They are housebound and rely on others to get them out and about. While Neighbor to Neighbor is not an organization dedicated solely to transportation, our volunteers do provide rides to our care recipients. They need to get to doctor’s appointments, to the grocery store and bank, and maybe most importantly, just need to GET OUT of the house.

If you have a few hours a week or a few hours a month, please consider becoming a Neighbor to Neighbor volunteer. You will fill out some paperwork and meet with me to talk about the specifics, and that’s it. You can drive CRs, or, if that’s not your thing, you can help in all manner of ways. Our care recipients are our elders, and they have so much to give. I guarantee that you will get at least as much as they do from your connection with them.