OATS receives tax credits, accelerating fundraising efforts

The state Neighborhood Assistance Program granted $15,000 in tax credits to OATS Inc., a nonprofit transportation service active in 87 Missouri counties. OATS will use the tax credits to spur donations to the organization, promising eligible donors 50 percent returns on their donation.

Eligible donors include businesses, individuals who operate a sole proprietorship, operate a farm or rental property, are members in a partnership or limited liability corporation, or hold shares in an S-Corporation. Each donation goes toward the purchase of a bus in the neighborhood of the donor’s choice.

“Businesses who donate through this program are able to keep their tax dollars in their own community,” said Dorothy Yeager, OATS Executive Director. “These dollars allow us to continue providing transportation to get people to work, to the doctor, or to the store for their essential shopping and nutrition needs.”

Although now available to everyone, OATS previously stood for Older Adult Transportation Service, founded to help remove transportation barriers faced by the elderly and disadvantaged in rural areas. A small group of volunteers created the organization in 1970 with a grant from the Missouri Office on Aging. The agency now serves more than 30,000 Missourians annually.

To make a NAP tax credit donation, contact project director Jill Stedem. Other donations can be made at the OATS website, www.oatstransit.org.