At the start of the Leadership Gilroy program in January, a group of 17 local participants had to invent a service project that would better the community. After canvassing many of Gilroy’s nonprofits and service agencies, the group noticed many low-income or homeless adults and children lack the simplest means of transportation—especially bicycles.
The group, dubbed Spokes4Folks, took it upon themselves to collect 100 bicycles for the area’s needy, but that goal was exceeded in short order Aug. 2 after a donation drive held in the parking lot of the Center for the Arts.
Community members gave out roughly 50 new and used bikes during the event and Spokes4Folks plans on distributing the 120 bicycles they have by the end of August. Before the event took place, the group had already received 70 bicycles, Leadership Gilroy participant Whitney Pintello said.
All the bicycles are donated and volunteers—including “Shifty” the mobile bike mechanic—help get them in working order. Next, Spokes4Folks will pass them on to local agencies including the Compassion Center, St. Joseph’s Family Center, Rebekah Children’s Services, Community Solutions and Jacob’s Heart.
“We want people to feel the freedom of being able to go wherever they need to go,” Pintello said, as volunteers cataloged the donated bikes. “When you say to someone there’s a kid who can’t get to school or there’s someone who has a job but can’t get to work, people would rather help. Transportation is freedom.”
Last week, Spokes4Folks unloaded 11 bicycles from a truck into the warehouse of the Compassion Center—a nonprofit that provides daytime outreach to the area’s homeless.
“We had so much support we had to get bikes out of storage to make room for more,” Leadership Gilroy participant Vicky Martin said in the Compassion Center’s warehouse. “We wanted to get them to people who need them as quickly as possible and make room for more. We’re really proud of our efforts and the community has really jumped in and helped.”
According to Leadership Gilroy participant Edward Cervantes, transportation is a commonly encountered problem in Gilroy. Also the director of student support services at Gavilan College, Cervantes said one of his student workers had to ride her bike to her classes from the center of town for more than a semester. Eventually, she got a car and her situation quickly improved.
“Now, she’s doing wonderful things,” Cervantes said.
But the lack of transportation crosses all age barriers and there are children in Gilroy—and across South County—who have to walk to school because they lack any alternative.
“Giving them a bike would do them wonders,” Cervantes said. “And that’s what it’s all about—giving people the tools to help them empower themselves. It feels good to give people one of those tools.”
According to Pintello, every child who gets a bicycle will receive a helmet and a lock will accompany every bicycle—many donated by local businesses and organizations.
Though Leadership Gilroy is a 10-month course and graduation is set for October, participants hope next year’s class—or anyone else who’s interested—picks it up as a legacy project.
“It’s hit such a nerve with the community and we’re hoping that somebody will see the need and carry it on,” Martin said.
For more information or details on how to donate, visit spokes4folks.org.
