A cargo container filled with hundreds of donated bicycles will be leaving a borough warehouse in April 2017 destined for Guatemala.
GLEN GARDNER - A cargo container filled with hundreds of donated bicycles will be leaving a borough warehouse in April destined for Guatemala.
The shipment, the 337th container to be sent by Pedals for Progress, includes the 150,000th bicycle to be sent overseas. The container leaves on April 22, according to a news release. The shipment will be the organization's 18th consecutive annual shipment to its partner FIDESMA in Chimaltenano, Guatemala.
Pedals for Progress has been rescuing bicycles destined for landfills and sending them to developing nations since 1999. The bikes are reconditioned and sold at low cost within the communities.
Adults and children are trained in bicycle maintenance and repair, gaining employable skills. For their new owners, the bikes offer reliable transportation, according to the news release. This means that people can commute to work, health care and appointments; children can get to school; and, medical personnel can reach villages inaccessible by roads. Bikes can also be adapted to transport produce to market, haul trash, serve as taxis and more.
Pedals for Progress's mission is to empower sustainable economic development by recycling bicycles and sewing machines from the U.S. and shipping them to motivated people in the developing world.
Pedals for Progress also arranges for bicycle shops to have the necessary tools, parts, accessories, and lubricants for maintaining the bikes. Bicycles are collected at donation events in the greater New York City and Philadelphia areas.