The Hope Buss offers free rides to the grocery store for people without personal transportation.

The next scheduled ride service will take place June 7 at Grace Hope Presbyterian Church.

Linda Vidales hadn't shopped at a Walmart in years.

The closest store is more than 7 miles from her home in Old Louisville, and without a car, the 68-year-old would have to transfer buses twice to reach it.

In the past month, however, Vidales has visited the store twice thanks to a free ride service from a new nonprofit that hopes to help neighbors get food more easily.

The Hope Buss, founded in 2018, is a group of volunteers who've begun organizing free monthly grocery trips for people who don't have personal transportation.

The volunteers see the trips as a simple solution to a growing problem.

In neighborhoods across Louisville, grocery stores are closing at an increasing rate, forcing more residents to travel to markets outside their neighborhoods or to purchase food at higher-priced convenience stores.

People who do not have personal vehicles are hit especially hard by the closures. And while city leaders consider long-term solutions that can reduce the issues, volunteers with the Hope Buss have launched the ride service for residents who need help now.

More:The new YMCA in west Louisville will be much more than a fitness center

"To go to the Walmart and just lollygag in a Walmart for an hour or so, it's a nice thing, it really is," Vidales said.

The ride service is based at One Church in Old Louisville, where Hope Buss founder Stachelle Bussey serves as the worship director.

Once a month, volunteers with the Hope Buss will gather at the church to give people rides to the grocery store of their choosing — be it Kroger, Aldi or another company.

The nonprofit has rented vans for the trips, and volunteers offer to drop people off at their homes once they've finished shopping.

(Also, yes, the trips are safe. On Saturday, I joined Bussey and Vidales on their ride to Walmart and had no misgivings.)

Bussey and Hope Buss member Angel Todd said the biggest issue they've experienced so far is convincing people the rides are actually free.

More on food deserts:How everyone is hurt when grocery stores shut down

"For something to happen and it not cost you anything is slightly hard to believe," Bussey said. "I think in our communities, especially in some of our communities where they've kind of been damaged by some things, where people struggle for resources, I think free is a scary word. Free sometimes is going to cost you something."

Bussey was a social worker before she was ordained as a minister in 2017. She said she thinks God has called her to meet the needs of marginalized communities, and volunteering her time to give free rides is an easy way to do that.

"Everybody's not hungry. Everybody's not homeless," Bussey said. "Sometimes people have the money, they just need a chance to go."

Todd and Bussey said they hope to expand the ride service to other neighborhoods after developing partnerships with other churches and organizations.

On Saturday, they spent the morning giving people rides from the City View Park apartments in Russell and the afternoon giving rides from One Church in Old Louisville.

Related:What defines a grocery? In Old Louisville, it's beer, smokes and potato chips

In total, the volunteers provided transportation for more than a dozen people.

"If was even just one person, we'd still do it the next month," Todd said. "We keep running into people who it is a need for them, and they're taking us up on it."

The Hope Buss will next offer rides on May 11 at One Church, 1212 S. Fourth St.

On June 7, the group will host a health fair and grocery trips at Grace Hope Presbyterian Church in Smoketown. And on June 8 and July 13, it will return to One Church, along with the City View apartments in Russell.

For updates, follow the Hope Buss on Facebook or call 502-536-9587.

Related:Would you shop at a mobile grocery store? Kroger is betting on it

Bailey Loosemore: 502-582-4646; bloosemore@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/baileyl.

The Hope Buss

What: A group of volunteers is offering free trips to a grocery store for people without personal transportation. The group is providing the trips once a month to residents in Old Louisville and other areas that lack adequate access to affordable groceries.

Where: Trips in Old Louisville will generally meet at One Church, 1212 S. Fourth St.

When: The Hope Buss will next offer rides on May 11 at One Church, 1212 S. Fourth St. On June 7, the group will host a health fair and grocery trips at Grace Hope Presbyterian Church, 702 E. Breckinridge St. And on June 8 and July 13, it will return to One Church, along with the City View apartments in Russell.

More info: Visit thehopebuss.org, email serve@thehopebuss.org or call 502-536-9587.