A Knights of Columbus bicycle drive in Burnaby that was locally boycotted for being “anti-LGBTQ” is shifting gears and rallying with an international partner instead.
The bike drive, run by Knights from Holy Cross Parish in Burnaby, collects dozens of donated bikes each year and distributes them to the poor, providing free on-the-spot cycling tune-ups for cyclists. This year’s bike drive set for early May had to be postponed when three partners suddenly pulled out, citing differences of opinion on LGBTQ issues.
The Knights started making phone calls and garnered enough support from other local charities to go ahead with the event, now rescheduled to Saturday June 13 in the parking lot of the John Paul II Pastoral Centre in Vancouver.
The new partnership also means that for the first time, the local bike drive will make an international difference.
Bicycles for Humanity is a global grassroots movement that collects donations of bicycles and bike parts and ships them in large containers to partners in various parts of Africa. There, locals refurbish and distribute the bikes to the needy as an inexpensive mode of transportation.
Vancouver chapter spokesperson Paul Robinson said his agreement with the Knights is a “good fit.”
“We like to partner with really anyone locally that is of the same mindset as us, in that they just want to give back to the community, they want to volunteer their time, they want to contribute,” he said.
“We’re not religious in any way. We’re just a group of a very small number of volunteers that want to help out. We share that goal in common as far as wanting to help others.”
The Vancouver chapter of Bicycles for Humanity is currently raising funds to ship its next container of 500 bikes its partner B4H Namibia.
The Knights also have the continued support of longtime partners REC for Kids Society, which refurbishes donated sports equipment for children in need in the Lower Mainland, and Kia West, which lends the Knights a large vehicle to transport bicycles in.
Event organizer Graham Darling said the outdoor bike drive will follow COVID-19 health precautions including requiring volunteers to wear masks and gloves for the typically low-density event, with donors and cyclists dropping by over about five hours.
Darling admits he’s not sure how many people to expect this year. Nearly 90 bikes were collected for charity last year.
“It’s hard to predict how these things will work out. People are, I suppose, hesitant to go anywhere these days,” he said. On the other hand, self-isolation could have led many people to do a little spring cleaning. “There might be a lot of bikes out there!”
In light of the boycott and the pandemic, some have asked Darling why the Knights didn’t just cancel the bike drive this year and pick it up again in 2021.
“The poor are still with us and they might be suffering through this more than we are,” he said.
“This particular project can be especially beneficial to them right now when they need to go for their own groceries, or jobs if they can get them, or medical appointments, without having to pay for the bus.”
Anyone who wants to donate a bicycle or get a free summer tune-up is invited to drop by at 4885 Saint John Paul II Way in Vancouver between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
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