Asheville's bus system needs our help, but not in the way you might think - I'm talking about bus stop benches.

While we don't have the power to change how often the buses come or where the stops are located (we need the city for those things), we do have the power to fundraise, build, stain, and place wooden benches at bus stops around town. At the simplest level, this should be a given - but sadly it isn't, and a majority of stops don't have benches, rain shelters, or sidewalks to access the bus stops. This is an easy addition that restores dignity to riders, helps folks with mobility issues have a place to rest, and, once again, it feels obvious that a bus stop should have a corresponding bench for people.

This GoFundMe was created to fund the work of the Asheville chapter of Strong Towns. Strong Towns is a national member-powered movement for change. The Asheville chapter is a collective of Asheville residents that advocate for a more human-centric city, focusing on issues including safe streets, transit investments, and housing choices city-wide. We organize bench-building work days that anyone in the community can attend, and then deploy these benches where they're needed most.

This is only just the beginning - we plan to partner with local organizations for supplies and monetary donations, and plan bench-building work days more often and increase attendance through broader media channels and other partnerships.

How much does it cost to build one bench? Just shy of $75.00 - Your donations go directly towards bench-building supplies. No one is paid, this is volunteer work. $750 would put 10 benches on the map. $1,500 would make that 20. We have 675 ($50,625 in bench materials, for those curious) bus stops as of current - hopefully someday they'll all have benches.

Thank you in advance for your generosity to the cause.

*If you'd like to sign up to volunteer with the bench building activities that will be planned for the future, please visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKR4a_mRbC4QB9iN8oi4m8iZgCi_6zf5fqL_MZlnyYplYsMA/viewform