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The freedom and utility that comes with transportation is undeniable. To share the empowerment, inspiration, access, and opportunity it provides the community is priceless. Intercity Transit facilitates this through its Surplus Van Grant Program. Over a dozen nonprofit and government programs received used vans in 2021 alone.

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The Bridge Music Project, which teaches youth in the community to use music as a tool when dealing with life’s challenges, was granted a van, enabling them to offer even more outreach and support. Photo courtesy: Intercity Transit

Intercity Transit began awarding surplus vanpool vehicle to extend the benefits of transportation in 2003. Since then, non-profits and governmental agencies within the transit system’s ridership area have received 83 multi-passenger vans from the agency’s Vanpool Program which would have otherwise gone to surplus.

With these granted vehicles, Intercity Transit enhances the ability of each community organization to provide better service to their clients. The application process typically begins in late summer or early fall and is competitive. The number of vans available for granting varies from year to year. A review board evaluates the applications based on the applicant’s ability to enhance their program, ability to maintain the vehicle, how many individuals they will serve and how many rides will be provided. “The day I contact grant recipients to inform them of the awarded van is a very special heartwarming day,” says Vanpool Manager Cindy Waterhouse. “Transportation is a barrier for so many in need and the agencies that serve them. To hear the excitement, gratitude and plans each agency has to improve services and lives makes me proud to be a part of the Surplus Van Grant Program and Intercity Transit. Together, we all make a difference in our community and in the lives of those we serve.”

The Thurston County Food Bank received a second van in the latest application process. The Food Bank reaches tens of thousands each year and has been able to increase their offerings by using the large capacity vans in their gleaning program. Gleaning is the activity of harvesting produce from the fruit trees and garden crops of people’s yards and small farms that is not destined for the market. “We served 69,000 individuals in the county,” says Thurston County Food Bank Development Director Judy Jones, “The priority has always been to provide a variety of foods and increase the amount of fresh foods. Gleaning is a significant piece of that.” Indeed, the group’s positive figures are inspiring, with 23 volunteers racking up over 260 volunteer hours of gleaning and about 30,000 pounds of produce worth over $50,000.

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Organizing and executing gleaning activities with a single 15-passenger van negates the issue of using multiple, personal volunteer cars to reach rural farms, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint. Photo credit: Allison Zusi

Organizing and executing activities without a van requires volunteers to use multiple vehicles and their own fuel, therefore becoming a barrier to volunteering and collecting the free food. A 15-passenger van negates those issues and results in a smaller carbon footprint. “Having a vehicle dedicated to the gleaning program improves efficiency by eliminating the need to load and unload equipment twice a day,” explains Thurston County Food Bank Gleaning Program Coordinator and Development Assistant Allison Zusi. “The passenger vans are extremely versatile, with multiple rows of bench seats for transporting volunteers, and vegetables, to and from gleaning sites. Rear seats can be removed to load an entire pallet of gleaned produce, with extra space for storing tools and supplies, including an 8-foot orchard ladder. We are extremely grateful to Intercity Transit for supporting our work to reduce food waste and get fresh, local, healthy produce to those in our community who face food insecurity.”

Getting food to people is just one of the community benefits supported by the vans. Aside from the food bank, other basic needs organizations transport individuals in the vans they were granted to community resources. For example, the City of Olympia Homeless Response Team, sharing a van with the Scattered Site Program, plans to use it to transport 1,300 people to community medical and mental health services. Lacey Veteran’s Service Hub expects to make 7,200 trips with their van to take veterans to its one-stop location for benefits and information that connects them to even more services. Sometimes transportation is an urgent matter of safety, so programs that provide assistance for people in domestic violence or human trafficking situations now have a multi-purpose vehicle ready for whatever and whenever the need arises.

Intercity Transit provides more than bus service to our community. Through the Surplus Van Grant Program, the agency boosts the effectiveness of programs that support basic needs, nurture and uplift residents, and provide immediate assistance. The vans granted to nonprofit and government organizations provide needs-specific support and door to door transport where they are greatly needed. “This program exemplifies the value our Board places on investing in and supporting organizations that do the same for our community members,” says Ann Freeman-Manzanares, Intercity Transit’s General Manager. “This collaboration makes us all stronger, creating a healthier and more vibrant community for us all.” To learn more, visit Intercity Transit’s website or the Surplus Van Grant webpage.

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