Hilary Moore Hebert had a simple idea. She knew many visitors to Washington, D.C. buy fare cards to ride the city’s public transportation system. What would happen, she wondered, if visitors donated old fare cards to help poor people get to jobs, doctors’ offices or schools? Moore Hebert bought 56 fare cards for a group from New Orleans, Louisiana. Its members were traveling to the nation’s capital for the Women’s March on Washington. The march was held January 21. She asked that the cards be returned after the event. She offered to donate them to a charitable group. But Moore Hebert did much more than that. She put out a request on Facebook and other social media. It was directed to the hundreds of thousands of people who attended the Women’s March and the hundreds of thousands at the swearing-in of President Donald Trump the day before. Would they consider donating old fare cards to help needy people? Moore Hebert’s efforts paid off. More than 10,000 fare cards were donated in just over three weeks.
