Foundation needs volunteer drivers

Spokane Valley Foundation is looking for volunteer drivers and donations to support Rural Feeder Service, a nonprofit collaboration that provides transportation for disabled people.

The service recently started providing rides for people living outside Spokane Transit Authority’s scaled-back paratransit boundaries.

Spokane Valley Foundation Director Norman Patton said the agency needs 20 volunteers to drive routes that stretch east to Liberty Lake, west to Cheney, north to Mead and South to Dishman Road.

Drivers are asked to commit to at least one shift per week. Shifts run 6 a.m. to noon and noon to 6 p.m.

Rural Feeder Service transports disabled people either to STA transit centers, where they can connect with other bus service, or to their destinations.

To get the service started, Spokane Transit donated four vans equipped with lifts and $44,000 in state grant money to the foundation, which operates the service in partnership with the Spokane Valley Ministerial Association and the Coalition for the Responsible Disabled.

In addition to seeking volunteers, the foundation needs the community’s financial backing to secure the future of the service.

Patton said businesses that make significant contributions will have their logos advertised on the side of the paratransit vans.

For information about donating to or volunteering for Rural Feeder Service, call 924-0410.