Why Salvation Army?

As I’ve stated in this blog previously, I am not a spiritual or religious person. I am an Atheist. The Salvation Army is obviously a church-based organization and evangelism is a part of its mission. Why then do I donate many of my bicycles to this organization that is antithetical to my belief system?

I hope that my bikes will end up in the hands of people who need them. I think that the Salvation Army store to which I donate bikes is in the best position to get them to the needy. The store is located just on the city line. It’s in a working-class neighborhood and the people that shop there (generally) are shopping there out of need.

There are other Salvation Army stores and thrift stores run by other organizations in my area that are in “nicer” neighborhoods and they seem to cater to a different clientele – wealthier people looking for bargains or harder-to-find goods. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with this approach for it brings in needed revenue for the charity.

When I donate a bike, it goes directly out to the floor. I’ve witnessed families buying the bicycles within moments of my donation. The kids were so excited, it made me feel great! I’ve also been asked for a bike before I even wheeled it into the store. I had no problem giving it away right there, directly.

Occasionally, I’ll drop by the store and look around. Only once have I seen one of my donated bikes there a few weeks after I brought it in.

I’ve given my local store 44 bicycles since 2006.

Twice I have seen bikes that I’ve given to the Salvation Army out “in the wild.”

The first time, I saw a kids’ bike that I had fixed for sale at a yard sale near my neighborhood. That was slightly disappointing. The guy obviously bought the bike and was trying to resell it for a profit (he has yard sales frequently and no children). I talked to the seller and told him that I had built that bike and given it to charity in the hopes that a needy kid in the city would get it. He seemed to get the idea and I’ve not seen any more of my bikes for sale from him again.

The second time, I saw a girls’ mountain bike that I repaired being ridden down the street by an older man. He had a big grin on his face – he was obviously enjoying the ride. Perhaps it was his first bike ride in many years. This has motivated me to keep up with the work!

I’ve gotten into discussion on online message boards regarding donating bikes to thrift stores. Some people claim that it’s not the most effective way to get them to the needy and that there is a lot of corruption and waste at these shops. That’s probably true for some stores in some locations, but I am convinced that most of my donations are getting to the people.

I’ve been told that a bike co-op or similar is the best place for giveaway bikes. We did have a program like that in a nearby city. I gave them some frames and wheels. Unfortunately, I think they’ve moved to a new location and are not functioning at this time. I’ve heard about another program in the city to which I am closest and I might look into donating some of my better quality bicycles.

The title for Jacquie Phelan’s food blog, “Salivation Army,” is a brilliant pun.