The Bike Brigade: Responding to a pandemic need, and beyond
When the first pandemic lockdown hit Toronto in March 2020, a small collective of volunteer cyclists joined forces to address the need for safe, efficient, and friendly delivery services tailored to vulnerable and marginalized communities. Thus, the Toronto Bike Brigade was born. Spearheaded by Dave Shellnut aka “The Biking Lawyer”, we partner with community outreach and mutual aid organizations in the city of Toronto to provide free and timely delivery of prepared meals, groceries and other food items, as well as medication, hygiene products, clothing, and even toys and art supplies. Hundreds of volunteers log thousands of kilometers of rides and haul a literal tonne of goods every month, year round.
This presentation will describe the day-to-day operational aspects from a rider's point of view, including the technology developed in-house specifically for scheduling and dispatch. I will also touch on our social advocacy work, and how we embrace our motto with every ride: “Solidarity Not Charity”. Viewpoints and experiences from other organizations achieving similar goals are encouraged during this discussion!
Moderator: Brian Tao (Bike Brigade and bikeSauce volunteer)
Languages
English
Theme
Community Outreach