Farmworkers’ bike program in high gear
Volunteers tend to two-wheelers in Virgil
Mark Gaudet and his crew of volunteers have turned the basement of an old school into an assembly line that would make Henry Ford jealous.
Entering the third year of the Bikes for Farmworkers program, Gaudet, Terry Weiner and four others are turning around refurbished bicycles for use by Niagara’s large temporary farmworker population. A tour through the basement of the old Virgil Public School shows they take their work seriously.
“Our primary mission is to provide road safe bikes to migrant workers,” said Weiner.
Bikes don’t go out the door until they’ve passed a 50-point checklist the volunteers have created, and they install reflector to ensure the cyclists are “lit up like a Christmas tree” as they navigate the country roads of rural Niagara.
When visitors first descend the stairs to the basement they’ll enter the main shop area. There are four workstations setup that volunteers use year-round to refurbish bikes that have been donated by individuals and groups throughout the region. Next to the stations are dozens of bikes ready for sale to migrant workers. The bikes are ready for road use, equipped with reflectors and other safety measures to ensure the safest ride for the farmworkers who rely on them for transportation.
In one corner of the room Gaudet has organized parts that have been donated. There are pedals, tires and tire tubes, seats and more waiting to be installed on a new frame.
Going further into the basement, the volunteers have organized donated bike frames by the hundreds, sorting out what needs work and stripping any bikes that are unsalvageable for parts they can use.
Gaudet has separated out bikes in a separate room that will be donated to the Niagara-on-the-Lake police committee safety festival this weekend and others for the Niagara Migrant Workers Interest Group’s health festival on June 3.
The program has benefited mightily from community support, like a grant from the Niagara Community Foundation that helped them purchase tools to process bikes more quickly.
“Everybody has been over-thetop helpful,” said Gaudet.
Beamsville’s St. Alban’s church, which runs a similar program, helped Gaudet and his team get going, and Positive Living helped secure the grant.
Each Thursday throughout the summer, as the farmworkers head into Virgil to do their weekly grocery shopping, the volunteers will be at the old school, selling their refurbished bikes to workers who need them and providing free repairs for bikes. Most of the bikes will end up back in Central America as the workers bring them home to give to family members.
And that’s fine by Gaudet, who says a bike being used by someone who needs it — whether that’s here in Niagara or in Jamaica — is better than it collecting dust in an attic or shed somewhere.
While they’re based in Virgil, Gaudet and Weiner say they’re open to serving farmworker populations throughout Niagara.
More than 2,000 temporary farmworkers come to the peninsula every summer. The group hopes to provide 300 bikes to workers this year, and Gaudet said they’re already well on their way to that goal.
The group is always looking for bike donations, as well. Anyone with a usable, adult bicycle can call Gaudet, at 289-783-1684, or Weiner, at 905-321-8638, to arrange for a pickup or drop-off during workshop hours.
Anyone who can spare some time volunteering as a bike mechanic or driver to pick up donations, can also contact Gaudet or Weiner.