Cambridge — On Friday, May 27, at 12:15 p.m., 20 community members will receive free helmets, locks and bicycles on the steps of City Hall through the LIFT Bike Project. Mayor David P. Maher will join in the celebration of these homeless and low-income community members who have earned their bikes.
The LIFT Bike Project provides homeless and low-income LIFT clients living in the Cambridge area with free helmets, locks and refurbished bicycles. LIFT is a nonprofit that helps combat poverty by pairing trained volunteers with homeless and low-income clients. Volunteers work one-on-one with clients on a variety of services, including finding jobs and securing safe and stable housing.
The LIFT Bike Project was created in response to the lack of social services for transportation in the Boston area. Over the years, volunteers noticed that many LIFT clients have been unable to access existing social services because they cannot afford to take the T.
Homeless and low-income community members, including members of the Men’s Health League, earn their bike by volunteering in the community for at least 10 hours and attending required bike safety education and basic bike maintenance training.
Liz Powers, founder and director of the LIFT Bike Project, said, “This event will be a celebration of the community coming together to support one another. All of the bikes were donated by the Cambridge DPW and all of the bikes were refurbished from volunteers. All of the recipients of the bikes gave back to the community through a range of service including caring for cancer patients, cleaning homeless shelters and keeping the local food bank stocked.”
For more information, visit www.liftbikeproject.blogspot.com.