LOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Census data from 2021 shows 2.3% of Kentuckians do not have a vehicles available as a means of transportation to work.
There’s a Goodwill program in Kentucky designed to help Kentuckians finish that last mile to work.
For over a year, 53-year-old George Hill has worked for Goodwill Industries of Kentucky. He recently transferred from a Bowling Green store. He is what’s called a Grader/Processor. That means he sorts through clothing that comes in, assigns them a grade and separates the good clothes from the bad. He also processes hardware when needed.
He said his co-workers here are the kind that go-to-bat for you.
“It’ a good little job. They help out a lot of people,” Hill explained. “They helped me out, because I was having trouble trying to find a job when I was up there.”
Born in Louisville, Hill left in 1986 and moved to Tennessee. He recently moved back to Louisville at the beginning of the year. He has five adult children and seven grandchildren.
He used to rely on the bus. His commute was often an hour-and-a-half each way, without a car, and the bus wasn’t always reliable.
“Sometimes they come early, sometimes they come late. Sometimes, they wouldn’t come at all,” Hill explained. “I’m not dogging them or saying anything bad about them, don’t get me wrong. But I prefer the bike thing now.”
Hill is part of Goodwill Industries of Kentucky’s Last Mile to Work program. It helps people who need transportation via free bicycles. If you want or need a bicycle, you have to be employed. You must become a member at a Goodwill Opportunity Center, then get connected with a career coach.
According to Housing and Transportation Programs Senior Manager Kalea Raynor, to become a member, you need to head to an Opportunity Center. You will then go through an orientation that takes 30 minutes to one hour and then you get a membership card.
Raynor said they’ve got a goal of placing 200 bikes this year. They’re less than 30 bikes away.
“The idea came from a lot of our individuals that are in the outer counties. Realizing that transportation is limited in terms of bus stops,” Raynor explained. “So, people were really just having a hard time walking on the side of the roads after being dropped off at a bus stop and having a mile or two or three, really having some trouble getting to work.”
The program started about three years ago and has grown. Every single adult bike is donated. The bicycles are refurbished with new parts, like-new tires and chains.
They measure people to match with a bike that fits. People also get a helmet, vest, front and back lights, plus a bike riding safety review.
Hill said his bike has cut his commute in half and changed his life.
“I can get around a lot more and move around better in the city because I don’t have a vehicle at the moment,” Hill said.
Hill plans to stay in the program until he gets that car.
Raynor said to donate a bicycle, you can send it to any Goodwill store. You’ll need to let them know it’s for Last Mile to Work. They’ll label the bike and get it to Goodwill’s downtown Louisville location at 909 East Broadway.