Chug Wagon seeking donations for newer vehicle

CLAYTON, New York (WWNY) - The Chug Wagon is looking for new wheels. The not-for-profit, which offers rides to and from bars and restaurants in the Thousand Islands, needs a boost.

You may have seen it driving around downtown Clayton or Alexandria Bay. It’s the Chug Wagon.

“It’s to prevent bad things from happening to good people,” said founder Dan Throop.

The organization has spent the past nine years giving rides to and from bars and restaurants mainly in Clayton and Alexandria Bay.

“In the summer, it gets crazy busy,” said Throop.

Before summer kicks into high gear, the Chug Wagon is looking for a newer ride.

“Bottom line, with what we have in the bank and what we’ve raised so far, we need to raise $15,000 as quickly as we can,” said Throop.

This specific Chug Wagon made its debut in 2019 and has racked up nearly 155,000 miles. On top of that, repairs are becoming more frequent.

“Every week or so it goes into the shop for repairs, $1,000 here and there,” said Throop.

With the help of his full-time driver, Laurie Carnegie, Throop has been sending letters to local bars and restaurants where the Chug Wagon stops.

“We have a number of the bars of restaurants that are supportive, but we have a batch of letters that were sent out in January, and maybe because the bars and restaurants are kind of quiet and closed then, Laurie is going to be going out again this week with a batch of letters,” said Throop.

Donations from businesses or individuals can be made online.

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