Your old bicycle (or sewing machine) can help others
(Long Island, NY) Long Islanders can put their old bicycles to good use by donating them to Pedals for Progress, a program that rescues unwanted American bicycles (and sewing machines) and sends them to communities overseas. On Saturday, April 30 from 11 am to 2 pm, members of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island will accept donations of bicycles, sewing machines and cash for their 14th annual collection at South Huntington Public Library, 145 Pidgeon Hill Road in Huntington Station.
Members of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island at a previous bike and sewing machine collection. Photo Credit: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island.
Bikes should be rust free. Bikes with flat tires in need of some repair are accepted. No tricycles. Sewing machines in working condition are also accepted. Each person who donates also will be asked to donate $10 per bike and sewing machine (tax-deductible) to help defray the cost of shipping.
Turtle rangers on patrol protecting native species in rural Madagascar, using Pedals for Progress donated bicycles. Photo Credit: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island.
Over the years, the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of LI have collected 1248 bicycles and 77 sewing machines that have helped improve people’s lives in countries such as Guatemala and the Ukraine. “In many countries,” says Linda Restaino-Merola of Eastport, who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, “having a bicycle can have a critical effect on whether or not you are able to get to a job or school.” It has been found that income goes up 14 percent when a family has a bicycle. For many a sewing machine means having the possibility of making a livelihood.
A girl learns to operate a Pedals For Progress donated sewing machine in Rivas Nicaragua. Photo Credit: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island.
“Doing this collection every year is a way for us to continue our commitment to international progress,” says Bill Reed of Westbury, who has served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho, Africa.
To learn more about Pedals for Progress, visit their web site at www.p4p.org. For information about the April 30th collection, call Kathy Williams-Ging at 631-549-4873 or Bette Bass at 516- 606-1400. The program is also accepting cash donations from corporate and community sponsors.
