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Can you drive? Do you want to volunteer? A Georgetown non-profit needs you

It's a service many senior citizens need, a ride - someone to drive them to the doctor, or the grocery store. Georgetown non-profit Faith in Action aims to provide that service, but with the population quickly growing, their need for drivers is as well. 

It's a service many senior citizens need, a ride - someone to drive them to the doctor, or the grocery store.

Georgetown non-profit Faith in Action aims to provide that, but with the population quickly growing, their need for drivers is as well.

Sharon Evans is one of the Faith in Action clients.

"It's important to be able to eat, it's important to go to your doctor, and I do like to get my hair cut once in awhile,” said Evans.

She doesn’t have a car and has some foot trouble, so without the volunteer drivers, transportation can be difficult.

"You know my family works, they live in another town,” said Evans.

Marchand Ming is Evans’ volunteer driver.

"They may not have that opportunity to do the things we take for granted every day,” said Ming. "If I need help, I would hope that someone would step up and do that for me."

"It really is a blessing to me,” said Evans. "I might go hungry you know if I didn't have any way to go.”

Now the organization needs more volunteers like Ming.

Vickie Orcutt, the Executive Director of Faith in Action said right now they have 640 seniors signed up to use the service, with 250 volunteer drivers.

"Transportation, you know a lot of us, we take that for granted, we jump in our car, and before we know it, we've gone to two or three different stops,” said Orcutt.

She wants about 70 more volunteers just to feel comfortable for now, but said they have new clients signing up all the time.

"Growing, that seems to kind of be our middle name right now,” said Orcutt.

According to Orcutt, last year three to four people signed up each week, this year, it's five to eight.

Orcutt said right now each client has a cap of two rides per week.

But even then she said it can be difficult to find a driver for all the requested rides.

"It's always been a challenge to keep up with the demand, it's only going to get more and more challenging,” said volunteer Pamela Herneckar.

Herneckar has been volunteering as a driver for more than 15 years.

"I know I'm getting older too, and sooner or later we all need help,” said Herneckar.

She said it’s well worth the time.

"You get back more than you give,” said Herneckar.

Volunteer Leslie Hearne agreed.

"There is so much more to this than just driving,” said Hearne. "I am needed, I know that I am helping somebody, I'm helping them by listening, I’m helping them by understanding, and I'm helping by being just a happy person around them."

She enjoys meeting the people who may not be able to get behind the wheel, but still have a lot of drive.

"The people that I pick up are inspirational to me,” said Hearne.

The volunteers said it’s also easier than you may think.

"I can set my own volunteer hours, and that's convenient since I work full time, actually I have work two jobs," said Ming.

If you want to volunteer, contact Faith in Action.

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