The BikeTexas Katrina BikeAid project will hold a bicycle collection celebration on Saturday, November 19, from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm. at the Bicycle Sport Shop central location (517 S. Lamar) in Austin. Everyone who donates a working bike that day is invited to enjoy complimentary food, drink and entertainment. The goal is to collect one bicycle per minute – or 540 bicycles – on November 19.
One thousand bicycles have already been collected and distributed in Texas, but demand and need still remain high. Cash contributions are also critical to the success of this important mission.
Texas Bicycle Coalition, Bicycle Sports Shop, Austin Cycling Association and Austin’s Yellow Bike Project are working with several local Austin charities to distribute bicycles to evacuees through various programs such as the Catholic Charities of Central Texas Adopt-a-Family program.
Bikes are still needed for hurricane evacuees throughout the Gulf region, and BikeTexas Members are encouraged to dig deep and turn your seldom-used bikes into someone’s transportation. Groups in Austin have organized a second Katrina BikeAid Donation Drive throughout the month of November to get bikes out of garages and into the hands of people who have been affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
You can drop off your working bicycles at either Bicycle Sport Shop location in Austin during regular business hours throughout November: 517 S. Lamar (512-477-3472) or 10947 Research Blvd. (512-345-7460). Monetary donations with each bike are strongly encouraged to help cover the cost of providing a new helmet and lock.
Collecting, storing and distributing the thousands of bicycles that will potentially be donated require monetary assistance. In addition to many individuals, examples of groups supporting Katrina BikeAid include Texas Bicycle Coalition Member Clubs Lone Star Cyclists ($200) and Waco Bicycle Club ($500) as well as the Walmart store ($1,000) at 9300 S I-35 in Austin. Please visit our secure online donation page and contribute today.
Recently, the East Biloxi Coordination & Relief Center has requested 3,000 bicycles to distribute in Biloxi, Mississippi, a city that was among the hardest hit by Katrina. Texas Bicycle Coalition will need to raise thousands of dollars to deliver these bikes and provide helmets and locks to the new owners.
If you live outside of Austin and are interested in organizing a bike drive in your area, contact Audrey Warren, Katrina BikeAid Coordinator, at 512-476-7433 or audrey@biketexas.org.
