Upcycle Bikes Steps in for the Win

When someone is working to rebuild their life, success often depends on more than just determination.

You can have a job lined up, support, and be ready for a fresh start — but if you can’t get there, none of it works.

That’s the reality many of the individuals Samaritas serves face every day.

Transportation isn’t always the first thing we think about, but it’s often one of the biggest barriers standing in the way of stability. Without a reliable way to get to work, attend appointments, or access resources, even the strongest effort can fall short.

That’s where Upcycle Bikes stepped in.

What began in 2022 as a small effort to repair donated bikes for newly arrived refugees quickly revealed something bigger: the need wasn’t occasional, it was everywhere. Families, individuals in recovery, and people reentering the workforce were all facing the same challenge.

How do you move forward if you can’t get there?

In just a few short years, Upcycle Bikes has grown rapidly, providing bikes to nearly 3,000 individuals, including more than 1,200 in the past year alone.

Their approach is simple but powerful.

Collect used bikes.
Refurbish them.
Provide them at no cost to people who need them most.

Because, for the people receiving them, a bike isn’t a recreational extra. It’s a tool.

“A bike can be a toy—or it can be a tool,” Rick Armbruster, Executive Director and Founder of Upcycle, shared. “For the people we serve, it’s how they get to work, access services, and stay connected to their community.”

It’s the difference between relying on an unpredictable bus schedule arriving on time. Between missing an opportunity and keeping it. And the impact goes beyond logistics.

With a reliable way to move through their day, individuals gain something just as important: independence, opportunity, and connection.

For one Ukrainian woman adjusting to life in a new country, that impact was immediate. Without transportation, being stuck at home in a new country felt very isolating.  But when she received a bike, something shifted. As she stood in the parking lot, she was overwhelmed with emotion, grateful for the freedom and connection it made possible.

That’s the power of removing a barrier that many of us don’t even think about.

Today, Upcycle Bikes partners with more than 60 organizations, including Samaritas, to reach people where they are and respond quickly

to real needs. And still, they will tell you the same thing: They are not even close to meeting the demand.

Transportation remains one of the most consistent challenges across the communities they serve. And while Upcycle Bikes has grown faster than they ever expected, expanding their reach will take more. More space, more resources, and more support.

Because when we talk about helping people move forward, we have to look at everything that stands in their way.

At Samaritas, that’s what it means to walk alongside someone.

Not just offering encouragement but helping remove the barriers that make progress possible in the first place. Because sometimes, the difference between a chapter of challenge and a chapter 

of success and moving forward is simply having a way to get there.

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Upcycle Bikes strengthens independence, opportunity, and connection through affordable and accessible transportation by providing refurbished adult bikes at no cost to individuals with financial constraints. Learn more about them at www.upcyclebikes.org.