Calls to Action! – Ride To Work Ministry Nonprofit, Inc.

Ride To Work Ministry was created to provide temporary low cost rides to/from work for residents of Oconee County so they can transition to stable employment. We’d like to partner with local churches to provide a network of support from loving Christians who will ‘accompany the rider’ on their journey to self-sufficiency.

Background: We estimate 5-10% of local unemployment is due to lack of transportation. Since 2017 Ride To Work Ministry has provided over 13,500 rides to over 290 local riders about half of whom have ‘graduated’– meaning they kept their job AND found their own way to work. Applicants must have a job in Oconee County, a talk/text phone, and a success plan for finding their own way to work as soon as possible. They apply on-line at rtwministry.org.Our volunteers meet them and coach them during the process. Riders pay $5-$10 per day. We schedule a local driver service (at ~$30+ per day) to provide the rides and subsidize the difference with donations.

Church Partnership: We’ve found that riders who have God in their lives and have a church connection are more successful and we’d like to discuss ways of partnering:

We will come brief your church on the program.
If you have a church member who wants to work but needs transportation; or who has a job but is about to lose it because their car broke down, Ride to Work could be part of their transportation solution.
Once a rider is in the Ride To Work program, we can provide guidance on finding low cost cars.
Would your church be willing to ‘adopt’ a rider who was interested in establishing a relationship with God and make them part of your church family?

If your church is interested in partnering with Ride To Work, contact us using this link.

Join local businesses/civic leaders like Community First Bank, Borg Warner, ITRON, Sealed Air Corp, Valley Towing Services, Walmart, Upstate Insurance of Seneca, Oconee Machine and Tool, The City of Seneca, Oconee County Council, and The Wayne and Pauline Thrift Foundation to help support Ride To Work Ministry Nonprofit, Inc.

Be a Partner on the Job

Recognizing that ALL of our riders are filling jobs in our area, we have a goal of raising $15,000 annually from local businesses, civic agencies and the city and county .
Please consider becoming a supporting partner!

Click here to choose how you want to send a donation to Ride To Work Ministry.

We also welcome the opportunity to help you with temporary transportation needs for your employees, including temporary rides.

To learn more or to request ride help for an employee: Complete an application so we can discuss how to work together to help your business.

Ride To Work is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides temporary affordable rides to/from work at businesses in Oconee County. The rides are for people who have no other transportation, do not live near the bus route and otherwise would not have a job. We know that work helps develop positive habits, skills, and self-confidence and believe it is part of God’s plan for everyone. We applaud local businesses for providing jobs and want to help them find reliable employees to fill their new jobs or help their current employees keep their job when they have a temporary transportation issue. We know it is a tight labor market and that your business can spend thousands of dollars to find/replace employees.

We’ve provided over 13,500 rides to/from work for more than 290 residents since January 2017, including about half who have ‘graduated’ – i.e. kept their job and found their own way to work. We have provided rides to Sealed Air Corp., Parkway Products, Borg Warner, ITech South, ACI Plastics, US Engine Valve, Johnson Controls, Greenfield Industries, Carolina Plastics, Clarios, and more. Many of our riders start through temp agencies such as Etcon, Elwood, Peak Workforce Solutions, Phillips Staffing, American Services, HTI, etc. We charge riders $5-10 per day for the rides and schedule rides with a local driver service at higher costs. We subsidize the difference with donations.

Each year we hope to help at least 50 people get to their job and work in Oconee County, and have at least 25 “graduates”, but to do so we need your support. The average monthly cost to subsidize a rider is about $400-500 depending on route structure, how fast a rider finds their own transportation, their ability to share rides and other factors. Our estimated annual cost is between $50,000 and $60,000. All work is done by volunteers and all funds are used to put people to work locally. The money we spend paying for rides also benefits our local drivers who provide the rides!