Local church donates bikes for refugees

By For the Mirror • July 16, 2022 5:30 am
There’s no room to spare in the Lutheran Community Services Northwest van as staff members Mohammad Musa Salangi (left) and Aziz Ahmad Zaheer pick up donations from the Bikes for Kids organization. Courtesy photo
There’s no room to spare in the Lutheran Community Services Northwest van as staff members Mohammad Musa Salangi (left) and Aziz Ahmad Zaheer pick up donations from the Bikes for Kids organization. Courtesy photo

Refugee families in the Federal Way, Kent and Tacoma areas now have bicycles to get around, thanks to a social service ministry connected to Marine View Presbyterian Church near Dash Point.

The church’s Bikes for Kids team recently donated 47 refurbished children’s and adult bikes to Lutheran Community Services Northwest, who then delivered all of them to refugee families.

LCS Northwest has resettled nearly 800 refugees in the Puget Sound and Vancouver-Portland areas since last fall, mostly from Afghanistan. Reliable transportation can be difficult for refugees, especially when they first arrive.

Bikes for Kids volunteers stay busy year-round collecting and restoring used bicycles for various non-profit agencies, schools and churches. Total number of bikes distributed last year: 454.

If you have a bike you’d like to donate, go to bikesforkids.us for the list of drop-off sites and other information.