Meet Working Bikes, our July Charity

July 1, 2015

We’re happy to introduce you to Working Bikes, a non-profit dedicated to redistributing old and landfill-bound bicycles to those in need of transportation. For the entire month of July, every bouquet you send helps Working Bikes and their ongoing mission to find new homes for old bikes.

Working Bikes crew of volunteers at work.

Working Bikes was started by Lee Ravenscroft and Amy Little back in 1999. With the help of a few volunteers, they collected bikes, wheelchairs, and sewing machines that were out of use, fixed them up, and sold them out of a garage. It got to the point where they were collecting more than what they could sell, so they took their earnings to fund a container to ship the extra refurbished bicycles to communities in need of bicycles as a means of survival.

Volunteer bike mechanic at Working BikesA refurbished bike from Working Bikes

Today, Working Bikes ships over 6,000 bicycles each year worldwide to countries such as Africa and South America. In certain instances, a bicycle they obtain and is worth $20 here in Chicago is worth $1000 in some areas of those countries; owning a bicycle in these areas can also be the difference in finding employment. Working Bikes and their crew of volunteers is able to provide the service of fixing and donating bicycles to those in need.

The Working Bikes store frontA shipment of newly refurbished bikes ready to be donated.

Working Bikes accepts all types of bicycles, even non-repairable bikes for parts and accessories. Any unwanted bike is worth something to them, and is worth donating to their drop-off centers which are located all around the city. They even have a store front where they sell used and vintage bikes as well as a repair shop to fund their shipments.

We’re so happy to lend a helping hand to their goodwill by donating a quarter of our profits from our flowers all month to this great charity.