FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12/5/2020
CONTACT: Greg Ferguson
631-371-3886 gregferg2@gmail.com

Brookhaven Bike Coop
8 Flowerfield, Unit 18
St. James, NY

Nonprofit Plans Bike Giveaway in Time for Holidays

ST. JAMES, NY—The Brookhaven Bike Coop is wheeling in some joy this holiday season by giving away 40 refurbished bikes for those struggling to find the cash for gift giving. Just stop by the coop at 8 Flowerfield, Unit 18, St. James December 19th between 10am and 2pm to pick out your ride. The donated bikes have been lovingly restored by the coop’s volunteers under the supervision of skilled bike mechanics.

Lawyer Greg Ferguson founded the nonprofit Brookhaven Bike Coop not only to promote a healthy activity, but to give those without the means a way to get to places like work, the grocery store and doctor’s appointments without relying on costly, sporadic or even unavailable public transportation. Bike owners can also use the space, its tools and spare parts to fix their own bikes. “It’s a place to sort of create a little bicycling community,” says Ferguson.

Ferguson assembled his staff of volunteers by reaching out to members of his local bike club, the Suffolk Bike Riders Association. “I was surprised at how willing people were to donate bikes and parts and even teach us how to fix them,” he says. “It’s been a hugely positive experience.”

One such find was Richard Dittmar, a bike mechanic and former bike-shop owner. Dittmar, who leads free repair classes at the coop, teaches everything from changing a flat to fixing gears. While he’s helped develop partnerships with Stony Brook University, Suffolk County and several bike shops, he says it’s been individuals who have donated most of the bikes. “People probably have unused bicycles in almost every garage,” says Dittmar. The coop has been turning that trash into treasure.

An added benefit of donating old bikes, says volunteer and board member Lori Neiste, is environmental. Instead of going to a landfill, a refurbished bike finds a new home and a new purpose. There’s an emotional benefit as well. Ferguson says bike recipients who can’t afford other means of transportation have found their way to the coop through food pantries, social workers and a women’s shelter.

The coop accepts all manner of bicycles regardless of condition. Even the rustiest of them can still be dismantled for parts. If you have a bike to donate, please bring it to the coop or call 631-371-3886 to have a volunteer pick it up.