Some of the more than 17 bikes which were given away last year at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 410 N. Main St. during the church’s free bike giveaway program, 2023. This year’s event will take place at 4 p.m., May 10, in the church’s Undercroft. Submitted photo

Pedaling a bicycle can be a fun way to exercise. For St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, biking is a way to connect the community and help local neighbors.

The week of May 13-19 is National Bike-to-Work-Week and May 17 is National Bike-to-Work-Day. For St. Luke’s Church, 410 N. Main St. at 4 p.m. Friday will be the church’s bike giveaway day.

“We’ve done this before, and this year we’re doing it a week before and in honor of bike-to-work day,” said the Rev. Luke Fodor, rector of St. Luke’s. “This is a way to help our neighbors, build relationships and serve the community.”

According to nationaltoday.com biking to work and the celebratory events around the bicycle are nothing new. In the 1890’s people started to bike to work. The United Kingdom started a bike week tradition in 1923. The United States established a bike week in 1956 with New York leading the way with more bikers than any other major U.S city in 2009. Currently the trend of bikes becoming a major form of local transportation continues with data showing from 2000 – 2011 that bike commuters increased by 47%.

For Fodor and the St. Luke’s community, providing bikes is one part of an overarching mission.

“Bikes are an economical, healthy way of transportation,” he said. “We have several immigrant families and low-income families here, and it could take some of them years to possibly get a driver’s license. This is meeting a need some of our neighbors have right now.”

While getting bikes into the right hands could be a costly adventure, Fodor has mobilized a chain of people and organizations to make the giveaway possible.

“All the bikes, helmets and protective gear are donated,” he said. “The bikes are serviced by Pearl City Bikes and made safe along with a safety class on how to operate the bikes in a lawful manner.”

However, Fodor pointed out that there’s still room for more support and the need is getting greater.

“We really need help with safety gear,” he said. “A lot of times used helmets are cracked or not usable. However, anyone who wishes to donate a bike, safety gear or money can drop them off at the church. We’re getting more and more requests for assistance.”

Heading up the church’s bike program is Momina DiBlasio, case manager of the New Neighbors Coalition for St. Lukes.

“We’re planning on running this program more often,” she said. “So, we will still accept donations even after the tenth.”

Fodor said bicycles in need of minor reparations are acceptable. The church also requests donations for the purchase of helmets and other safety gear.

For Fodor it’s all about keeping things in perspective.

“We want to be good neighbors. We meet people right where they’re at, not where we hope for them to be. Right now, getting some form of transportation is what people are requesting help with.”

For more information contact Di Blasio at momina@stlukesjamestown.org or call 716-483-6405.