A longstanding volunteer at Project Action has urged the community to help save the charity, which will close this month if it cannot find support.

Speaking at the charity’s St George office, Ms Rose Douglas said: “It’s really sad. It would be a community loss. It’s a small operation, but to lose it would be a big community loss, and it would be a shame. There are people we pick up before 4am for dialysis. The service is very, very important, so it’s sad we’re at this point.

“It’s hard to believe. We are just hoping and praying that we will get the sponsorship we need, that the seniors will get the sponsorship they need.”

Project Action was founded 16 years ago to provide seniors with free transportation, offering them easier access to doctor’s appointments and regular outings.

However, last week co-founder Cindy Swan announced that the charity needed $10,000 before July 15 to remain in operation. While the funds would allow their bus to return to the road, the figure was said to be a short-term fix, with the charity also needing sponsorship to cover $110,000 annual operating costs.

Ms Douglas said that she first became involved with the charity after retiring from teaching and found that the group was making a real difference for not only the seniors but also their families.

“Cindy [Swan] approached me about helping and I liked it. I still enjoy it. Sometimes the calls we get are all about listening. I will never forget a call from a young lady who was trying to get her mother from point A to point B and hold on to her job as well. She was in tears.”

Ms Douglas praised the hard work of the late Raul Clementino, who would provide transportation for more than 1,000 seniors per year during his 13 years with the charity, and Ernest “Shuby” DeGrilla, decrying their efforts as invaluable, particularly for seniors who are struggling to get by on a small pension.

“Sometimes it’s a choice between transport and food, which means they have to cut down on their food budget,” she said. “This leaves the people, the seniors and the physically challenged with more dignity.

“It means that people don’t have to stay behind four walls all the time. It means they can get out. Just going up to South Shore and being able to talk about it stimulates the brain.

“Some people might think that feeding them, giving them a roof and making sure they are properly attired is the answer. It’s not. If you think about the seniors in your family, they were used to going places and now they can’t.

“This is a way of getting them out, not just for pleasure but also as a way to get to the doctor, and easier way to get to the fracture clinic. It means that they not only get there, but they see other people.”

She recalled occasions when she would visit the Sylvia Richardson Care Home, where she used to teach a pottery class and seeing the seniors waiting in the lobby in their “Sunday best”.

“They were so excited to be going out,” she said. “They were all done up. They had on their jewellery, their make-up was on. They were dressed to kill and going out.

“Some folks with fewer and fewer visitors stay in their four walls, and that makes them deteriorate. It’s not about getting through each day. It’s about a quality of life.”

While Ms Douglas said the charity had received some donations from the public since its call for assistance last week — including one memorable donation from a struggling pensioner — but more support is still needed.

“She said it was what she could spare, and it meant a lot,” she said. “Additional ones have come in, but we still need a few really big ones to become really viable.”

Those interested in donating are urged to e-mail organize@logic.bm