The Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation has a new ride.

The local nonprofit announced Oct. 29 that it received a $100,000 grant to purchase a new Care Van. The grant was provided by real estate and supply chain logistics company Link Logistics’ Community Grant Program.

Among the RFWF’s several programs, the Care Van serves anyone in the community who has difficulty getting to and from healthcare-related appointments like visiting a primary care physician or picking up a prescription. A big misconception is that this program is only for seniors, but it’s actually for anyone who requires this service, which is offered five days a week.

This new van replaces the one the nonprofit received in 2016.

”It was new when the Foundation purchased it but accrued a lot of miles over the past eight years,” RFWF Executive Director Sara Stratton said in an email interview. “Over the past two years, we’ve spent approximately $9,000 in maintenance. In the past couple years of the old van’s service, we had five to seven days per year in which we would have to cancel service due to maintenance needs. This sometimes left riders with short notice and no other option but rescheduling their healthcare services.”

The new van is smaller than the last, though it still has the same rider capacity of five seats and one space for a wheelchair.

“The smaller size allows for the same seating capacity but in a much more efficient design. This helps our drivers navigate some tight parking lots/driveways and get riders more safely and into their clinics, houses and destinations,” Stratton said.

The van provides an average of 190 rides a month, and has provided nearly 8,000 rides since 2020.

To schedule a ride, call the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation at 360-802-3206.