There are roughly one billion bikes in the world, but not all of them are necessarily being used. Maybe you just bought a new car and no longer need your bike for your commute, or maybe your children have outgrown their old childhood bikes. If you have an old bike sitting unused in your garage, consider donating it instead of throwing it away. Here are a few organizations in need of bicycle donations and a little about what they do, so you can feel confident knowing your old bicycle is going to a worthy cause.
Trips For Kids
Trips for Kids donates bicycles to at-risk youth in the United States and helps introduce cycling to children in every environment. Trips for Kids bases their practices around the ideals of giving children freedom and allowing them to explore their world by introducing them to cycling. Since 1988, Trips for Kids chapters have partnered with other local organizations to hold trail riding programs and cycling classes, helping to foster a sense of community between kids the organization assists.
World Bicycle Relief
World Bicycle Relief donates bicycles to students, entrepreneurs, business owners, and health care workers in Africa. These bikes allow these important people within their communities to have reliable transportation. This means that students can access classes, job-creators can continue to foster their communities, and health care workers can provide faster care to those in need.
Mountain2Mountain
Mountain2Mountain uses cycling to empower women in conflict zones, particularly in Afghanistan. Cycling in this region as a woman comes with a certain set of risks, in part because of sexism, as well as the inherent dangers of cycling in conflict zones. However, the women these bicycles go to have not let the circumstances stop them, using the bikes from Mountain2Mountain to create the first Afghan Women’s National Cycling Team.
If you’re planning on getting rid of an old bike at some point in the near future, consider giving to one of these organizations doing incredible work to benefit the world we live in.