Snapshot 2023- A Look Back

When we look back over everything we accomplished in 2023 we know we have you to thank for helping us meet our goals. We've made great efforts to improve and grow our program and we couldn't have done it without our volunteers and your support. You can view our full Snapshot report here and take a look at what made our top ten list of 2023 of what made the year great:

10- Collected over 12,000 bikes

This is the first time we've surpassed 12,000 bikes in one year since 2019! And our volunteer collection managers continue to bring back those sites we lost in 2020- adding 4,000 donated bikes which were collected through community led events.

9- Donated 11,128 bikes

Another first since 2019. Not every bike makes its way to a new owner, but as you can see many do! The rest are harvested for usable parts that mechanics can use to repair the bikes we donate around the world. A few bikes are still in the warehouse awaiting the next shipment.

8- Sierra Leone adds two more female mechanics

Speaking of mechanics...Partner, Village Bicycle Project trained the first ever female mechanic in Sierra Leone several years ago and she has served as an inspiration to other girls in the community. As we increase the number of bikes donated to this project, the need for rural mechanics grows. VBP has encouraged and trained numerous women who now own and operate bike shops in the country.

7- Worked with 40 volunteer groups in the warehouse

We continue to grow this aspect of our program, offering service opportunities to scout troops, schools, and corporate groups. We doubled the number of groups joining us in the warehouse this year from last, which allows us to improve our shipments and have a greater impact with our global partners.

6- Shipped 22+ containers

Technically we shipped 21 containers but we also donated over 500 bikes locally (a containers worth) and included bikes in a special shipment to Lebanon (another first). Thanks to all the volunteer mechanics who worked in our warehouse shop we were also able to include hundreds of spare parts in every shipment.

5- Costa Rica received their 91st container from BfW

This micro-finance project is one of our first supported projects. MiBici receives the most bikes from us annually and has distributed more than 44,000 bikes throughout the country from BfW. Each container we donate is typically shared among ten co-ops where our bicycles help build wealth in the community.

4- Worked with 5 Eagle Scouts to complete their projects

We collected over 600 bikes through these five scout led events in 2023. Luke Porter collected 234 bikes during his project at Blair High School in the spring- the second largest collection run by a scout in our history. Many of the bikes Luke collected were donated to our partner in Madagascar.

3- Madagascar received their 10,000th bike from BfW

We first partnered with this health focused project in 2015 and the communities requesting bikes continues to grow. They have trained mechanics and converted shipping containers into rural bike shops to help repair and maintain the bikes we donate. The project builds incentive among volunteer health workers, creates empowering jobs within the community, and helps generate capital for their health initiatives.

2- Ron compacts his 1,000th bike of 2023

We can't really confirm this actual number because we lost count somewhere in late July, BUT Ron Boyd was our most consistent volunteer of the year. He is in the warehouse every Thursday afternoon (only missed one or two this year that he didn't make up another day) and easily finishes 20 bikes per session. 50 weeks times 20 bikes is...you got it: 1,000 bikes!

1- Volunteers logged over 5,500 hours

We can't say enough about our volunteers. As a staff of three full time employees we absolutely rely on YOU to get all this work accomplished. And YOU delivered. With a record number of volunteers (over 1,700) grabbing wrenches with us for over 5,500 hours (the highest ever) we were able to accomplish everything above. THANK YOU for standing with us to make the world a better place.

We would like to extend our gratitude to you for everything you've done with us over the past year. We are so excited to roll into 2024 with you and to accomplish even more greatness, one bike at a time!

REVIEW OUR 2023 SNAPSHOT