(Photo: submitted)
For the past ten years, Krista Richard has been supplying bikes to those who need one.
She created the program Bikes and Trikes for Everyone.
Even after retiring as a teacher at Forest Glen School, she has carried on the program starting with a single bike ten years ago.
“I was cycling through Europe, and I received an email from Debbie McGinnis of the United Way,” recalled Richard. “And she says, I have a friend who has a bike. Do you know anyone in the community who would need one? So I put a few feelers out. And what I realized was there were a lot of kids who needed bikes. So from that one bike, I’ve gone on. We’ve given out over 500 bikes to kids in the community and parents too, because a lot of parents want to go cycling with their children.”
“Cycling is such a great exercise for your mental health,” Richard added. “You can just get on and just go. It’s not expensive, it’s not like joining a gym. It’s something that just about anyone can do, or do with a family.”
She has received many donated gently used bikes already, and there have also been many monetary donations, but she is still in need of many more.
“There are a lot of people without bikes. They’ve gone to the store and were going to buy a bike but the bike parts are so scarce because of COVID. The bike prices have gone up so even now, for an entry level bike, you’re looking at, $150 to $200. That’s a big chunk of change if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, or if you have three or four kids,” Richard added. “The kids are so excited, even though it’s a used bike. They are over the moon and want to take it out riding right there before I even leave the driveway.”
Through her program, Richard tries her best to get the right size of bike for anyone in Greater Moncton.
“We are close to handing out 50 already and it has only been two weeks since we started the program again this year. A lot of people that I don’t even know have been reaching out,” Richard says.
For more information on how to get a bike or donate, you can reach out to Richard via Facebook or email.
