SC pastor becomes Uber driver in effort to give back to community

LYMAN, S.C. — A Palmetto State pastor hit the streets driving for Uber this year, but his reasoning is far from obvious.

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Jeffery Hickman is a pastor with more than two decades under his belt. began driving in his community to help him assess the needs of others and find his own way to give back, according to our news partners at WCIV in Charleston.

When passengers hop into Hickman’s backseat, they’re met with a helpful hand and open ears.

“There are a lot of people who are struggling with the idea, ‘Does somebody see me? Does somebody hear me? Does somebody even care that I’m alive? Am I valued? And so this has been an amazing way to let people know that someone cares about you and God loves you,” Hickman told WCIV.

Hickman recently met Rosalyn, a woman who needed a ride to the doctor’s office.

“I knocked on her door, and nobody came to her door. Eventually, I heard a voice, and eventually, the door opened, and it was a lady who was sitting in a wheelchair. She was a recent amputee and was struggling,” Hickman said.

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After taking Rosalyn to her appointment, Hickman went to WCIV because he knew he had to help. That’s when he took to social media, asking for $1,500 and several volunteers.

In just under an hour, Hickman had raised $1,600 and assembled a crew to show up at Rosalyn’s house the next day to build a wheelchair ramp, WCIV reports.

SC Pastor become Uber driver in effort to give back to community (Left): Jeff Hickman & Rosalyn (Right): Crews working to build Rosalyn's new wheelchair ramp (Courtesy of: WCIV)

As the holidays approached, Hickman was planning to make sure his passengers didn’t go hungry by giving away free meals. His plans were halted when he was on his way to pick up a passenger and got hit on the passenger side of his Ford SUV, totaling the car.

“If you think about anything you’ve ever done for anybody, or that you’ve given away, or that you’ve helped somebody, you’ve never regretted it because generosity fills your heart,” he told WCIV.

Hick says he is still waiting to hear back from his insurance company to see if he can get a replacement car to continue his positive mission.

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