Even though our doors were closed to customers and all in-shop volunteer activity came to a screeching halt, it still seems to me that April came and went in a blink. Here we are in May already with the flowers in bloom and the sun shining bright – a perfect time for all of us to get out on our bikes! And is it just me, or are there many, many more people riding bikes these days?
Unfortunately, we had to cancel this year’s Kid Bike Swap, but instead we will work directly with local organizations that serve low income families to help us distribute kid bikes. On April 17th our storage room was full of used kid bikes piled in an organized (sort of) heap ready for cleaning and repairs. Every bike was pulled out, cataloged, and inventoried into our database. A “call for help” was made and our loyal volunteers immediately adapted to the change and carved out a mini Sharing Wheels shop space at home and got to work repairing all 50 bikes! We had 9 volunteers donate 95 hours of their time to Sharing Wheels in April. It’s the sweat labor and commitment to our organization that our volunteers give every day that makes Sharing Wheels such a special place in our community.
As an essential business, we are open to customers (one at a time) and have tried our best to provide the necessary services to low and no income people who rely on their bikes as a primary means of transportation. We will continue this model of service until it is safe for everyone. Until then, enjoy the month of May and stay well.