Local organization asks for bikes to help people get to work

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - When you don’t have a car, getting to work is complicated. One organization is filling the gap for those with limited resources. Pedal Power renovates bikes and donates them to those in need.

Over the years, Pedal Power has collected and donated thousands of bikes for the community.

"We gave so many bikes away in November and December that our supply is pretty low right now," Bob Callander said.

Callander said the organization only has about 40 bikes. Their goal is to collect another 150.

"There are a lot of people who don't have cars and they can't get to work,” Callander said. “They can't get to the grocery store. They can't go shopping at all unless they have a bicycle to do it.”

Callander said Pedal Power Started in 2013 with a small group of volunteers who would restore donated bikes. Their motivation for renovating bikes was learning of the need in the refugee community.

"Resources are limited, and it is a lot easier to provide a bicycle than have to wait until they are ready to get a car or have saved up enough,” Melissa Siegel said.

Melissa Siegel with Kentucky Refuge Ministries said every April, Pedal Power donates 100 bikes to immigrants and refugees.

“A lot of our clients end up using those bicycles to get to work for their new jobs when they are employed,” Siegel said. “Many will also use them to get to the market or the grocery store.”

Melissa said a city that supports multiple forms of transportation helps those who can’t afford cars.

The latest Metro Government study is assessing how to weave buses, bikes, pedestrians, and cars together on Broadway and should be done by the spring.

Before then, Pedal Power hopes to get people the wheels they need.

"We've had people come back to us six months later and said they got a job and were self-sufficient only because they got a bicycle and could get there,’ Callander said. “That drives home the need right there."

To donate a bike, you can bring it to Beargrass Christian Church. Church employees are available to help Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bicycles can be dropped off after hours and left on a bike rack.

Volunteers meet to work on the bikes every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. behind Beargrass Christian Church at 4100 Shelbyville Road.

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