Patchwork’s Bike Shop continues to provide valuable services in the face of a mighty need. For many people with limited incomes in Evansville, bicycles are key to getting where they need to go.
Bike repairs done by competent mechanics are essential, as is a source for a good bike if you don’t have one. So much hope is placed on a bike: hope for a job, hope to make it to appointments on time, hope for a new start, hope for the freedom of going where you want when you want.
Patchwork’s Bike Shop distributes refurbished bicycles to new owners every month or two. Distribution days are scheduled whenever our five bike shop volunteers (Pete, Paul, Paul, Jim, and Jeff) have about 20 bikes ready to give out. People who want to receive a bike need to pick up a bike referral form in Patchwork’s main office and have it filled out by a professional who they are working with (a social worker, doctor, case manager, parole officer, etc.) who can certify their need for a bike.
Our most recent bike distribution day was this past Tuesday. We gave away 24 bikes to new owners. Our bike shop volunteers work with everyone to select the best bike for them, given the selection available. Everyone receives a lock to help keep their new bike safe and front and rear lights to keep their bikes street legal after dark.
Comments that we overheard Tuesday during the bike distribution illustrate the mix of feelings involved. Here are just a few:
One woman received a cruiser with fat tires, a big seat, and coaster brakes. She commented, “I got an old lady bike! That’s perfect!”
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A man looked at his new bike and said, “Is this a Schwinn? I love Schwinns! I have a question, though. Any time I need to get it fixed, can I bring it here?”
Pete, our Bike Shop coordinator, assured the man that if anything happens, he can bring the bike back to the shop to get repairs done.
“YES!!!” was the man’s response.
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John was talking to another man who’d received a flowery-colored bike. It was a nice, solid bike, but the color scheme was a little feminine.
The man told John, “I’m gonna paint this bike.”
“Why?” John asked.
“It’s pink,” the man explained. “Pink’s not bad, but…”
John told him, “It’s your bike now, so you can do what you want.”
“Yeah!” the man said, celebrating true ownership of his new transportation.
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Another man was ready to leave with his new bike. He paused before he left and told me with genuine gratitude, “Thank you for your services. I appreciate it.”
He later added that he’s in the process of looking for a job, saying, “Transportation will really help with that.”
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Another woman saw that the person ahead of her had gotten another cruiser with big tires and a laid-back look. “I want one like that!” she said when the Bike Shop volunteers asked her what kind of bike she was looking for.
They found another cruiser for her, and she said, “I’m so excited. I’m like a kid in a candy store! I’m cruising now!”
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The bikes rolled out of Patchwork one at a time. We’ll see several return over the weeks as our Patchwork regulars come to visit us. Some we will never see again. All, we hope, will be a blessing to their new owners, transporting them forward to wherever they intend to go.