Meet the community group with a big heart and an even bigger bike!
Ever wondered if you and your bike could do more together? Read on for some inspiring ideas...
If you happened to be in Austin, Texas, on a Saturday afternoon, sometime after 2pm you might just see a group of neighbors on their bikes, out for more than just an afternoon cruise.
For Saturday afternoons (and every other Wednesday at 5:30pm) a group of Austin residents come together as a small caravan of cyclists with cargo racks, baskets, and side-saddles to deliver meals to any houseless, hungry, and hard-up individuals whose paths they cross in Downtown and East Austin.
With bikes and e-bikes fully loaded with hot food, cold water, menstrual kits, dog food, flea collars, and even Narcan, Austin Bicycle Meals - a community-first effort - starts its rounds.
What’s it all about?
Headed up by Austin residents Kelly Wourms and Claire Harbutt, this food distribution effort falls into the category of ‘neighbors helping neighbors’. Complementing Austin’s established homeless services, ABM reaches those who might not use foodbanks, or who stay in areas that are tricky to access by car. Those inaccessible-by-car areas are far easier to reach by bike, and with a bunch of Austin residents keen to support the city’s unhoused population in a new way, ABM was born.
Community with a heart
It’s always been important to ABM that this was a humanizing experience for everyone, breaking down barriers between the ‘housed’ and ‘unhoused’ and never feeling like a ‘them and us’ situation when supplies were delivered.
As Momentum ambassador Abi Robins explains: ‘Something about the way that we're doing this takes away all the pretense; it takes away the barriers of “I have more, and you don't,” or “I'm gifting this to you”. It really levels the playing field.’
Abi continues: ‘And it's not, the haves giving to the have nots. It's just community supporting community. It's neighbors supporting neighbors. And it's been cool to watch.’
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The beauty of bikes
Alongside the group of committed individuals are the bikes, cargo e-bikes, panniers and racks that help make it possible. And riding, which can sometimes be a solitary pursuit, has become a community one – helping everyone involved.
‘We bring cyclists and volunteer-minded folks together and unite them to help serve the unhoused. Breaking the cycle (excuse the pun) of cyclists hanging out with and riding with nobody but cyclists,’ explains ABM.
It’s often cyclists who come closer to populations we’re conditioned to ignore, too: ‘On a bike you can smell, feel, and hear the city in a way that you simply can’t if you’re in a car. Traveling by bicycle, the barrier is removed, allowing one to easily engage with and support the unhoused,’ ABM explains.
Join them
ABM delivered over 3000 meals in 2023, and last year that number soared to 5000. Not only was that thanks to more volunteers, but our ambassador Abi Robins (and ABM member) asked if we could donate a PakYak E+ cargo e-bike to the team to help with their deliveries when Abi wasn’t able to make a ride.
Our PakYak E+ has been making us proud, with some serious heavy lifting efforts all year long! Increasing a ride’s capacity from 50 to 300, goes a long way to having a bigger impact every time ABM hit the streets.
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So, if you’re feeling inspired and you’d like to join this passionate group of individuals having a positive impact, you can. Founder, Kelly explains, anyone can join: ‘I'm always trying to tell people how easy this is. Everything is ready when you get there – you just have to put it on your bike and go. All you need is barely any skill on a bike, compassion, and the desire to help others,’ he explains.
Here’s more about Austin Bicycle Meals and ABM volunteer and Momentum ambassador Abi Robins.
