It took Gwen Coish more than a month to find the right words when she took to Facebook to express her gratitude after a local family donated their Honda Odyssey minivan to Bancroft Community Transit (BCT).
The donated vehicle — lovingly named “Caleb the Honda” by the family — is not only supporting the work of the non-profit organization, but has also restored hope.
“It was really hard for me to just form any words,” says Coish, who is BCT’s director of operations. “It’s hard to express the thankfulness that we felt, and that I actually still feel in my heart that this donation has given us reprieve — a bridge of sorts — as we try to raise enough money to buy more vehicles.”
BCT provides door-to-door transportation services using volunteer drivers. Founded in 2001, BCT’s original mandate was to provide non-urgent medical transit though, after years of evolution, the organization has also been operating a public transit system for North Hastings since 2017.
“At BCT, our focus has always been just to quietly transport people to their appointments. When we took on public transit, it really forced us out into the community so that people know who we are now,” Coish says. “As we try to continue the work, we need to continue to offer a connection to our local businesses to decrease the sense of isolation that people feel. Helping our seniors go out and about, meeting with their friends, having lunch, et cetera — all of that is part of our mission now.”
Coish has been with the organization since 2009 and says she has never seen BCT face the challenges they currently do after losing essential operational funding.
“I really haven’t experienced this wall that we’re up against — looking for funding, trying to fundraise, trying to replace vehicles,” she says. “There’s just a lack of funding for transportation and a lack of understanding on the part of our government partners as to what rural transportation is.”
BCT currently operates with seven vehicles and, with the exception of one, they all need to be replaced. Coish says replacing an accessible van could cost in excess of $140,000.
“They’re all high mileage and their breakdowns are costly repairs, so it’s just been really taxing,” she says. “Last year along, we spent close to $20,000 in vehicle repairs. We can’t continue that.”
That’s why last summer, BCT launched the “Drive 4 Change” fundraising campaign with the goal of raising enough money to replace the vehicles. When Coish’s nephew Josh Mourtzanos and his wife Ana donated their family vehicle to the organization in December 2025, it meant one less vehicle to replace.
“Our mechanics said it’s in great shape, so we were very fortunate and very happy to hear that and know people were going to be safe. Safety is important but it’s also a comfortable vehicle to ride in,” Coish says. “It represents a lot of what we do in bringing hope and happiness and health and we’re caring for people. Everything is personified through this van, so it’s been an amazing addition.”
As for the Mourtzanos family, Josh says that when he got a job opportunity that required moving to North Carolina from Wilberforce, the family hoped they would be able to afford to give their minivan away.
When the family was at Wattle & Daub, BCT’s social enterprise café in Bancroft, they decided to give Caleb a second life doing good for the community by donating it to BCT.
“What they’re doing there is really cool and a huge help to people that can’t get around,” Josh says. “I’m very grateful that it panned out the way that it did and really thankful to see that the vehicle is still able to help people out and also stay in the community, because we loved it out there.”
“I think it says a lot about who they are and their compassion for society and for our community,” Coish says of the Mourtzanos family. “The gift that they’ve given is going to make a difference for so many people — for seniors and individuals to be able to go to medical appointments that will improve their life — so it really does speak volumes for the heart of this family that have given us this gift.”
Even beyond the difference the donation makes to BCT’s financial burden, Coish says it has given hope to the organization during an otherwise challenging time.
“This young couple who selflessly donated this van so that we could continue our work — it really restored my belief that there’s more good than bad during this moment in time. As we continue to fundraise to try to purchase an accessible van, it’s changed my focus to show the positives in all that we do. We need to remember the good and I think Josh and Ana restored that part of me.”
Coish adds the family’s donation is “more than just a gift of a vehicle.”
“They renewed our sense of purpose so that we can continue to fight for all the residents in North Hastings. It just reminds me that it takes a village, and we are so grateful for this donation.”
For more information about Bancroft Community Transit and to make a donation, visit www.bancroftcommunitytransit.com.
