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Beer & Bikes: 2 Great Things Combined in the Name of Charity on Saturday
Bike riding at the beach (Photo by Katherine Peach/LAist)
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By Katherine Peach /Special to LAist
As gas prices keep rising and pollution levels are at their worst (congrats again to greater Los Angeles for having the lousiest air quality in the U.S. according to the American Lung Association) it’s time to get out of your car and get back on a bike. What better way to spend a Saturday then by the beach and on a cruiser in the name of something good--beer and bikes good.
The Bike and Beer charity bike ride organized by WELO Venice is taking what is often a luxury for Angelenos into a way to help others globally. The ride benefits the nonprofit Pedals for Progress by raising funds and donating old bikes to provide clean transportation for millions across the world.
Every year, Americans buy 22 million new bicycles and discard millions of old models, with many more estimated to be abandoned in basements, sheds and garages, according to P4P. This organization collects and redistributes these unwanted bikes to impoverished people overseas who rely on cheap, non-polluting transportation to get to work, school and the market. P4P has donated more than 125,000 bicycles, 1,000 used sewing machines and $10.8 million in new spare parts to partner charities in 32 developing countries.
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You know the saying, give a person a fish they eat for a day, but teach them to fish and they eat for life? Well, this is give someone transportation and give them a chance at a better life. This is not just donating a bike, according to P4P, this is developing world economies by promoting self-sustaining bicycle repair businesses.
The Bike and Beer ride is from 1-6 p.m. on April 30 and starts at the Venice Beach Pier for a leisurely ride down the bike path to the Hideout in Santa Monica, located at Channel and PCH. For a $10 donation to participate your first drink is covered and a contribution will be made to P4P. The bar is opening especially for the riders to reward all the hard work and there is no better way to end the night then with a sunset cruise along the Pacific.
For more information about the event, to purchase tickets or to contribute even if you can’t attend, visit the Bike and Beer Facebook Event page or check out the WELO page to learn more about other Westside events; you must “like” the page in order to enter.
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