Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island, in partnership with the Bellport Methodist Church, is collecting used bicycles and sewing machines on Saturday, A
pril 28 (rain or shine), from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Bellport Methodist Church, located at 165 South Country Road, Bellport. Items collected will be refurbished by the international project Pedals for Progress & Sewing Peace and sent to developing communities overseas.
Anyone with an adult or child’s bicycle in repairable condition or a working portable sewing machine is urged to donate the item. The program does not accept “bikes for parts,” disassembled bikes or tricycles.
It costs $40 to collect, process, ship, rebuild and distribute each bicycle. A donation toward shipping costs is necessary (minimum $10 per item). All cash and material donations are fully deductible and a receipt will be provided on-site.
This is the 16th bike/sewing machine collection organized by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island (RPCV of LI). RPCV of LI member Michael Bilecki arranged for the collection to be held at the church, where he is a trustee. Bilecki, who is manager of science and research for the National Park Service at Fire Island National Seashore, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chile from 1978 to 1980, where he worked in economic development with local fishermen. “Bicycles would have been very useful to people, including me, to get to work at the docks every day, more than a mile away,” he says.
Since beginning this collection, RPCV of LI has collected 1459 bicycles and 153 sewing machines.
Pedals for Progress collects bicycles and sewing machines annually and transfers this material wealth to those more needy. To date, more than 150,000 bicycles and 3,700 sewing machines have been shipped to developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. In these countries, the bikes are reconditioned by partner agencies and distributed at low cost to poor working adults. These bikes provide reliable transportation for commuting to work, transporting product to market and accessing health care and other services. Sewing machine shipments help initiate educational programs and generate income opportunities that may otherwise remain out of reach for many people. Steady employment for adults is vital to the development and success of struggling communities.
For more information, contact Kathy Williams-Ging at 631-549-4873 or [email protected]), or Bette Bass at 516-606-1400 or [email protected].
