The Board of Selectmen (BOS) and Board of Finance (BOF) accepted a $14,000 grant from Friends In Service Here (FISH) to aid local seniors in getting rides to medical appointments.

The now defunct FISH, founded more than 50 years ago as a group of service-minded residents to provide rides for fellow Newtown residents who needed to get to the hospital for a non-emergency visit, a doctor’s appointment, or another medical location for an appointment when those residents could not drive themselves or had no other means of transportation, was disbanded in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it still had funding left in its treasury, and decided it wanted to make sure that remaining money was put to use fulfilling its mission.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal told the BOF on September 22 that the pandemic had “really affected the efforts” of FISH to give rides, and many of its volunteers were themselves elderly.

“They did a great job,” said Rosenthal. “But they said they reached the end as an organization.”

Upon FISH’s dissolution, the town reached out to many of the people FISH was serving and found they had a “resilient support system” and that many of FISH’s former clients were receiving rides from friends and family. The town’s Human Services Department does give rides to those in need, and the grant from FISH will assist in those efforts.

Natalie Jackson, director of human services for Newtown, said the money from FISH is specifically earmarked to subsidize rides that are medical in nature — from non-emergency hospital visits to doctor’s office visits.

“FISH wants this to be used just for medical appointments,” said Jackson.

Those who need to avail themselves of Human Services’ ride assistance for medical appointments can call 203-270-4330.

Seniors can also find ride assistance through SweetHART, at hartransit.com/sweethart/seniors. Danbury-based SweetHART Dial-A-Ride is now one of the lead organizations Jackson and others are counting on for rides, Mondays through Saturdays.

The door-to-door transportation service, according to its website, is for regional residents age 65 and older and persons of any age with a mobility disability.

SweetHART Dial-A-Ride offers rides for Newtown residents, by appointment, weekdays between 7 am and 4:15 pm and Saturdays between 8:15 am and 4:15 pm.

Rides are $1 each way for most riders, $3 each way for ADA Paratransit if reserved in advance. Fees increase to $4 if booked for same-day rides, when possible. A 10-ride Punch Pass is also available for $9 (most riders) and $27 (ADA Paratransit).

Applications must be submitted through HART’s website, hartransit.com/dial-ride. Town employees may also be able to help with applications.

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Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.