A bike can be a blessing to someone who does not have another mode of transportation. Kevin Brady, Vermillion First UMC, chose a bike as his first mode of transportation.  “I bike everywhere,” said Brady.  “It is a great way to get around, even in the winter.”  His love for bikes and giving has prompted Recycle 605-- A mission project of the Vermillion First United Methodist Church in cooperation with the Barking Dog Cycling Club and others throughout the community of Vermillion, South Dakota.

The objective of Recycle 605 is to refurbish abandoned bicycles and creating cost efficient bicycles for those in need. So far the group has collected 40 bikes to refurbish and distribute. The repairs to the bikes will be made through funds from a Mission Grant received from the Dakotas Conference Extending Missional Impact Link.

 “We hope to fix up the bikes and distribute them in March,” said Brady. “The weather is a little more favorable in March.”

The idea for the ministry started with an e-mail that landed in the wrong inbox.  Captain Cad Passick of the Vermillion Police Department (VPD) received an e-mail intended for the police department in Vermilion, Ohio, not Vermillion, South Dakota.  The content of the message was about a proposed bicycle cooperative in the Ohio city.

The same day he received the e-mail, Passick forwarded it to Kevin Brady, ride director of Vermillion’s Barking Dog Cycling Club and a member of Vermillion First UMC.  The bicycle program described in the email would allow officers “to keep them right here where they can benefit our own community,” instead of sending the [recovered] bicycles away.

Recycle 605 is taking off with donations of abandoned bikes coming from the University of South Dakota campus in Vermillion and additional bike donations to the VPD. The purpose is not just about giving away bikes. One of the goals of Recycle 605 is to teach people how to repair the bike.

Photo: Abandoned bikes collected and ready for Recycle 605 to refurbish. Photo from Facebook Page of Recycle 605.

The plan calls for the bicycle recipients to first work on repairs before receiving a bike. Recycle 605 sees this approach as fulfilling two purposes – to prevent the bicycles from ending up abandoned in the streets, and to teach community members how to properly care for and maintain them.

To learn more about Recycle 605 check out the page on Facebook.  Read this news story recently printed in the Volante, the weekly newspaper at the University of South Dakota. The ministry was also featured on KCAU-TV; watch the news story by clicking here.