By Kathy Chouteau
Rich City Rides received a donation of 53 bikes from Stanford University’s Department of Public Safety and the Oakland nonprofit Cycles of Change, which will ultimately result in free wheels for the Richmond community.
The Richmond nonprofit is looking to distribute the donated bikes through its Everybody Rides Program, which provides free bicycles to Richmond community members. The program promotes cycling as an accessible, sustainable, green and healthy mode of transportation.
Rich City Rides’ Bike Hub team and bike mechanic volunteers will refurbish the donated bikes to confirm their safety and functionality prior to giving them to community members in need, who have already applied for them. The nonprofit said that there’s a current queue of over 100 people. A timeline for distribution of the donated bikes wasn’t immediately available.
The nonprofit depends upon donations from Richmond and beyond for bicycles, parts and accessories and repair and maintenance tools.
Maria Weatherborne, programs manager at Rich City Rides, expressed gratitude to Stanford University’s Public Safety team and Cycles of Change for their donations which will “significantly impact our ability to provide free bikes to those in need within the Richmond community.”
She asked for patience from those on the waitlist and grace regarding the temporary suspension of the application process as Rich City Rides works to serve everyone in the queue. She added that they will look to open the request page upon catching up.
Rich City Rides mission is to promote cycling accessibility, community engagement and sustainable transportation in the Richmond area, leading to a healthier and more connected community, per its website. Learn more here.
