We want your unused bicycles sitting in your garage on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon!
In 2015 more than 2,000 refugees — men, women and children — arrived in Houston, often with little more than the clothes on their backs. Resettlement agencies provided them with a small cash stipend and the bare necessities to enable them to establish a household. The refugees can find jobs, even those who lack English-language skills. However, transportation is an immediate challenge. There is not enough money for a car and Houston’s public transportation system is often unreliable.
Across the city, there are bicycles in garages not being used. Enter Freewheels of Houston (http://freewheelshouston.org/). Salem’s Social Ministry Committee is working with Freewheels to help get these unused bicycles to the refugees who would benefit from having a bicycle as identified by Refugee Services of Texas (RST). For many refugees, a reliable bicycle could provide tremendous freedom of movement as they make their way in Houston to new jobs, English-language classes, shopping, and other destinations.
The first step is to collect bicycles. So on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, in the parking lot of our church, the Social Ministry Committee will be hosting a used bicycle collection! We will be collecting bicycles from the congregation and the neighborhood. It does not matter if the bicycle needs a little work, we want them anyway! After the bicycles are collected, bicycle mechanics who donate their time to Freewheels Houston will clean and fix the bicycles so they are safely rideable again, and then there will be a distribution to the refugees. Each recipient will receive a helmet, a lock, lights, etc. There will be further articles about the distribution, but for now we want any unused bicycles!
