Need a lift? RRP is there

By Ginna Young

Get a ride, share a ride, is the philosophy of the Rural Northwestern Wisconsin Rideshare Page (RRP), a private Facebook group that was started to provide a much-needed service. The RRP began, after a a few community members launched a survey in 2022, asking local residents what the needs are in a rural area.

“There are many needs in rural communities, whether it be grocery costs, child and/or senior care, supporting one another when raising families, living within social isolation, housing availability, rising rental costs and so many others,” said RRP volunteer Kody Morfoot. “Transportation was one of the top issues identified by the survey responses and one we began to ponder.”

That led to a discussion to identify possible solutions to help with that need, since public transportation is not available or is extremely costly to use.

“One of the best things about rural communities, is we care about one another and are willing to help out,” said Morfoot.

During those discussions, the idea of a Facebook transportation page was suggested. Brought up, were the old ride share boards that were used when someone would put up a piece of paper on the board, stating they were leaving at “X” time to go to “Y” place, and would return at “XX” date/time and were looking for a way to help out others headed to the same area.

“The Facebook group is focused on this same idea, with a more modern twist,” said Morfoot. “When we started, we intended to focus on Chippewa County. We quickly learned that many others in surrounding areas were interested in participating, so we changed our posting and advertising basis to the entire northwest region of Wisconsin, focused on rural areas that are without or with limited public transportation options.”

Right now, the RRP is in a growing phase, so they are not affiliated with any resources or non-profit programs, but they have had agencies reach out to commend them on creating a free platform to address the need.

Run by volunteers, the RRP screens people, based on location and age, with the request that members live in the northwest region of the state and be 18 years of age. The group is private, so any information posted is not shared to the general public. Once contact is made, coordination of rides and more detailed information is shared through private messages.

There’s no income requirement to participate and if someone does not use Facebook, they can contact the Holcombe United Methodist Church, which will help post the transportation requests for grocery trips or doctors appointments. To join the RRP group, visit https:// www.facebook.com/groups/1519377245250908/?ref=s hare& mibextid=NSMWBT.

“We hope to continue growing our group size and encourage participation, as others become more comfortable with the idea of communicating about sharing and offering transportation resources,” said Morfoot. “We operate on a ‘pay it forward’ belief system, that encourages those who can help to do so and those who receive help, do the same when they when are able.”