Tires slashed on ElderServe van disrupts rides, meal deliveries for Louisville seniors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A nonprofit that serves older adults in west Louisville says vandalism to one of its vehicles is disrupting transportation to medical appointments and meal deliveries for vulnerable seniors.

Surveillance video shows two people walking side by side in the dark early Monday morning and slashing three tires on an ElderServe van.

"As small as it may seem — just three popped tires — it really does have a huge impact on our daily operations," said Timothy Findley, CEO of ElderServe in the Russell neighborhood.

The nonprofit uses the van to transport seniors to its center, deliver meals and take clients to doctor’s appointments.

"It may be a month before they can get back in," Findley said of some seniors missing doctors appointments. "That literally can be life and death."

With one of its two vans out of service, the organization cannot serve everyone who relies on it.

ElderServe ordered replacement tires at a cost of about $800.

"When you’re an organization that depends on generosity, that’s a big, big deal to us," Findley said.

Frank Ellison, a west Louisville resident, said services like ElderServe are critical to the community.

"You ain’t never gonna have no luck preying on the elderly," Ellison said. "Cutting somebody’s tires — what did you get out of that? What joy did you get out of that?"

Findley who is also the Senior Pastor of Kingdom Fellowship Christian Life Center said he does not know who was responsible or why, but he is not filing a police report.

“I’m not calling for the arrest of these individuals,” Findley said. “Some may hear this and say they disagree, but what I do want is for someone around those young people to say, ‘This is not who we are. This is not what we represent.’ And I don’t want the rest of the city to see this and say that’s indicative of this community. It is not.”

The replacement tires are expected to arrive in the next couple of days. Until then, ElderServe staff members say they are scrambling to fill service gaps for seniors who depend on the nonprofit.

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