TAMPA, Fla. — Pat Simmons has been busy since 2016 in the converted workshop behind his house. In just under five years, he’s helped refurbish close to 1,000 bicycles.
“We’re at about 320 this year,” said Simmons. “That’s not only a blessing to them but as a blessing to me as well.”
The mission has only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the clients whom his nonprofit, Bikes For Christ, serves have lost jobs this year. That coincided with the growing desire for reliable bikes.
“2020 has been crazy for all of us but I’m proud to say we never stopped (collecting),” said Simmons. “The orders have just skyrocketed since May.”
In February, Simmons was awarded the Be More Empowered award by WEDU, given to a small nonprofit deemed to be making the biggest impact on the Tampa Bay area. With help from friends, he distributed about 320 bicycles. He’s already reached that figure in 2020 with three weeks to go in the year.
"85 percent of the bikes we do get need some work to make them rideable," Simmons said last year. He started Bikes For Christ four years ago. The nonprofit takes donated bikes and fixes them up to get them back on the road.
“I look forward in the next six months, if God provides, to open our own bike shop,” he said. “Our biggest need right now are men’s bicycles. We also need monetary donations.”
Simmons distributes his bikes to multiple organizations around Tampa Bay including Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and St. Vincent De Paul. Those outreaches identify people in need. Many of the recipients are veterans or people who are experiencing homelessness who need to get back and forth to work. Every bike they send out comes with a set of lights and a gospel of John.
Earlier in the month, Pat sent 23 bicycles to Liberia, Africa. The joy from giving never gets old.
“The opportunity came up and we jumped on it right away and within a week we had gotten the bikes we needed, got them fixed up, and they were ready to go,” he said. “When I get excited, I’m like a kid at Christmas because I’m like, ‘Look at all these new toys that I have’ and now I can prep them and get them ready to go out to people in need.”
To donate to Bikes For Christ, visit their donation page online.
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