North Texas families are heading into the holiday season with more need than usual, and transportation is one gap many older adults quietly struggle with. 

As part of CBS News Texas' third annual 11 Days of Giving campaign, supported by Tom Thumb Albertsons, $1,000 is awarded each day to a local nonprofit making a meaningful impact.

Today, that donation went to Call A Ride Southlake, better known as CARS, a volunteer-driven organization marking 25 years of helping seniors and disabled adults stay mobile in a community with few public transportation options.

For many people, driving is something they don't think twice about. But one of the toughest parts of aging can be hearing it's time to hand over the keys.

That moment is what inspired the creation of CARS a quarter century ago.

"It was really done by a couple of retirees looking around and saying, 'How come John's not coming anymore? How come Mary's not here?' And it was because they had to give up the car keys," said Erik Phelps of Call A Ride Southlake.

The group now works to fill what they call a transportation desert in North Texas. 

"In places like this in Southlake, and in DFW in general, if there's no public transport, you really are putting people on an island," Phelps said.

Since launching, volunteers have provided more than 36,000 rides and logged over 250,000 miles. 

The goal is to restore independence and dignity for people who can no longer drive themselves. 

"What we're doing is giving them back some dignity and autonomy that they lost when they gave up driving," Phelps said.

Kanak Lall, 91, uses CARS to get to the Southlake Senior Center and said that staying active keeps her motivated. 

"[It] makes myself happy, because if I stay at home, I don't have anything to do," Lall said.

Trips range from short rides within seven miles to longer medical appointments up to 25 miles away. Volunteers like retiree Lonna Bell say the work is rewarding in its own way. 

"It's such a small part of my day, but it's such a blessing to be able to help them," Bell said.

But demand is rising faster than CARS can keep up. More than 600 residents are now registered for rides, supported by just 19 volunteer drivers. 

That's why the $1,000 donation from Tom Thumb Albertsons comes at a crucial time, helping cover the behind-the-scenes operations that pair drivers with riders.

"Volunteers are the gas or the fuel in CARS engine, pun intended. And we need more fuel, and we need more volunteers," Phelps said