When Marvel Bedney isn’t at home – and that’s not very often – you’ll find her driving the highways and county roads of southeastern Minnesota, and she’s rarely alone.
Bedney is a driver for Three Rivers Community Action’s Volunteer Transportation Program. She spends most of her free time taking residents of Rice, Wabasha and Goodhue counties who can’t drive or don’t own a car to medical appointments, shopping, church and other places.
“It gives me purpose,” said Bedney, 81, of Lake City, Minn. “Without me, that woman or man might not get to their doctor’s appointment.”
With its mission to support and help people facing poverty, Three Rivers this year is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its program, which relies on volunteers such as Bedney to fill the gaps in rural Minnesota where public transportation is sparse.
Transportation is one of the top three needs for older residents in the four counties Three Rivers serves, said Megan Meyer, who leads the transportation program. Three Rivers operates Hiawatha Transit, an on-demand bus service providing rides within cities including Northfield, Kenyon, Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Lake City, Pine Island, Faribault and Zumbrota. But the bus does not take riders between cities.
That’s where the volunteer program comes in. Bedney is one of 26 volunteers who use their own vehicles to ferry people, sometimes as far away as Rochester, La Crosse, Wis., or the Twin Cities. Three Rivers provides between 90 to 100 rides a month, with the lion’s share to medical appointments, Meyer said.
“They won’t get there any other way,” Meyer said.
Those who need a ride must book their trip 48 to 72 hours in advance. Three Rivers then matches them with an available volunteer. The nonprofit vets drivers to ensure they have clean criminal records, insurance, safe vehicles and are 21 or older. Riders enrolled in the program are checked out, too, to ensure they can pay or have insurance to cover costs for medical rides, Meyer said.
