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Ask most people who VON services are for, and they tend to picture the same person: an older adult needing a little extra support to remain independent at home. While many VON clients fit that description, it's far from the whole story.

Brian would be the first to tell you so.

A VON volunteer driver in his community in Nova Scotia, Brian drives clients several days a week to the places they can't easily reach on their own, like medical appointments in Halifax, an hour and a half away, but also grocery runs, errands, Adult Day Programs, and social outings closer to home. Some readers may recognize him as the volunteer who delivers Meals on Wheels to Alice; delivering meals is where he started.

The reasons people need him are as varied as the people themselves. "Lots of people are scared to drive in the city," Brian says. "Lots of the people we serve don't have any family." Some are seniors; some are adults living with a disability; some are simply managing more than they can handle alone right now.

For Brian, the drive is only part of what he offers. A trip to Halifax and back can mean four hours in the car — a long time to remain strangers. "Every person has a story," he says. Over months and years, clients have become friends. He has been given lobster and bottled beets at Christmas. And he once delivered the eulogy at a client's funeral. "This is one of the best things I've ever done," he says. "It's not a job."

That closeness shows most in the hardest moments. One of Brian's clients, a woman facing a terminal diagnosis, had decided she was finished with testing and appointments. When she called him, he didn't question or talk logistics; he simply offered her a drive to anywhere she wanted to go. They spent the day together, and he stayed in touch with her right to the end. "It meant a lot to her," he says. "It meant a lot to me."

Drivers like Brian are also often the first to notice when something isn't right — a client who doesn't answer the door or a noticeable change from one week to the next. That kind of attention helps people stay safe and independent at home, which is why the service matters as much as it does. "Without this program," Brian says, "there would be more people in hospitals."

Help us get more friends and neighbours where they need to go

As the giving season begins, that sort of connection only grows more important. VON's transportation and home and community care programs reach more people, for more reasons than most of us realize, and they rely on the generosity of supporters to keep running.

You can help more people get where they need to go. Learn more about our programs and how to support clients in your community at von.ca/ways-to-give.