Bikes for the Bayou was established in the fall of 2005 to collect, refurbish, and ship 400 bicycles to hurricane evacuees. We wanted to get bicycles to families and individuals who have lost all their transportation so that they could more easily get to appointments, go shopping, look for work, and even just ride around for recreation. This was part of a national effort coordinated by the Texas Bicycle Coalition: Bike Aid, who put us in touch with our recipient organization, the East Biloxi Coordination and Relief Center. They received the bikes and distributed them to the individuals who needed them. Locally, we partnered with the Community Bicycle Center in Biddeford and the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.

The all-volunteer Bikes for the Bayou steering committee was headed by , Executive Director of the Community Bicycle Center, and , a bicycle commuter from Westbrook. Others on the steering committe included Pete Phair of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, and Dean Meggison, Scott and Steve Simonds, Robyn Reeves, Al Zullo, and Robert Stalwart, all interested individuals based in Southern Maine. We received a great deal of invaluable assistance from our Partners and Sponsors, without which this effort would not have been possible.

Our big gathering event in December 2005 was hugely successful! We gathered over 400 bikes and sent them to East Biloxi, MS, where they were distributed to people who needed them. Since then, we have been exploring how to extend the resources we were able to gather for this one-time effort into an ongoing network for recycling bikes throughout Maine and surrounding states. As of this writing (Februrary 2006), we are not to the point of making a public announcement, but we will post information on this site when we do, so please check back!

If you just have a question or comment, or want to join us, please contact us by filling out the form below or .








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