I gave away approximately 30 bicycles to kids and grown-ups who were financially strained this summer. It was very rewarding. People were very grateful and excited to get a bicycle that they could not otherwise afford. My main media tool was our local Facebook community page. I would simply post a picture of the bike, its details and always a reminder that I put time and fundraised money into providing bikes for those who cannot otherwise afford one. It’s a trust system that I think worked 95%. Living in a small community people talk and everyone was aware of my charitable work. Someone would need a decidedly hard heart to take advantage of it.
This project did not require much Covid conscientiousness. Part of the project was using Facebook to get people to donate their unwanted bicycles and parts. Often I instructed them to simply leave these items in my driveway. Giving the bikes away usually required a meeting because I did not want to leave nice fully functional bikes I put work and money into out front. However social distancing was not an issue. All transactions went like
1. Knock knock on my door
2. “You’re here for the bike? I’ll bring it out to you. give me a few minutes”
3. Hand off bike
4. Many thank yous, some chatting about why they need the bike and some honest big picture personal finance confessions. I never pried. People almost always offered these details freely.
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