Got a Bike? Give a Bike. Make Someone Smile!
APRIL 13, 10am - 2pm
Los Altos High School
Wheeee! That's the sound of a kid who's just gotten a "new" bike from GreenTown's ReCycle Bike Drive. The ReCycle Bike Drive is back and celebrating its 24th year refurbishing gently used bicycles for kids in need. GreenTown is looking for volunteers and bike donations for the bike drive, which will be held on April 13, 2024 from 10am-2pm at Los Altos High School.
GreenTown accepts gently used bikes that are gathering dust in your garage (or worse, headed to the landfill), then volunteers dust them off, clean them up, fix them and donate them to kids in our local communities who otherwise wouldn't have access to a bike. Now that's a win-win!
Los Altos Hills resident, Kathleen Santora, started the bike drive with friends more than two decades ago at St. Nicholas School. In 2012, with GreenTown’s help, the event was extended to the broader community. Partnerships with Los Altos High School and Bicycle Exchange have further improved the bike drive and our ability to get bikes into the hands of students and others who need them.
"We just love this event!" says GreenTown bike drive coordinator, Margie Suozzo. "It combines reducing waste, reusing and recycling, with clean transportation and giving back to the community. And we couldn't do it without the generous contributions - both bike donations and volunteer time - from the local community."
How does it work? Volunteers at the bike drive will be on hand to accept donations. Bikes of all sizes are accepted. Bikes collected at the bike drive will be spiffed up, repaired, and donated to students at local schools who can’t afford them. Kids who receive bikes will also get a bike helmet and lock to keep both their bikes and noggins safe. Our partners Los Altos High School and Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange (bikex.org), as well as other local school officials, are key to identifying students and others in need and in managing bike placement. Bicycle intake guidelines GreenTown welcome your donations but wants to make sure the bikes it gives away are like a new gift to the recipients, so consider the following questions before you donate:
Was your bike stored outside?
Has the bike been in a crash?
Is there significant rust on the frame (sections larger than a dime) or on the chain/cogs?
Can you move the seat post up/down?
If you answered "yes" to any of the following, GreenTown probably can't take your bike, but others can. Try Community Cycles or Good Karma Bikes in San Jose. “We’re so appreciative of our volunteers who greet donors and wash and fix bikes and our partners, our bike donors, and our partners!” Suozzo said. “Because of them, GreenTown can provide kids with the joy of commuting to school by bike -- a clean, efficient and FUN form of transportation." Plus, the bike drive is a community builder, and in my humble opinion, one of the best volunteer event of the year!"
ReCycle Bike Drive Got a Bike? Give a Bike. Make Someone Smile!
When: April 13, 2023 | 10am - 2pm
Where: Los Altos High School