The WRENCH is on the move
Non-profit bike shop launches fundraiser for new building
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/times/The-WRENCH-is-on-the...
The WRENCH is launching a fundraising campaign in tandem with its annual Cycle of Giving event in hopes of finding another home.
The Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub, a bike shop that offers programs aimed at educating youth and empowering volunteers, is located in the basement of the Animal Services building on Logan Avenue. Overwhelmed by hundreds of bikes, tools and parts, the WRENCH wants to add some square-footage to its cycling hub and is searching for an additional space.
“We’re busting at the seams and we’re constantly having to dance around piles of bikes that are kind of edging into walkways,” Kate Sjoberg, executive director, said.
“The WRENCH has been a part of creating a culture of cycling in Winnipeg for a long time, and creating physical infrastructure that can help cyclists like community bike shops … So, we really see this move towards establishing an above-ground space as a part of that story of Winnipeg embracing cycling, and Winnipeg creating the spaces needed to support cyclists in the city, whether they are new to cycling, or have been cycling for a long time.”
The Moving On Up campaign will begin Sat., Dec. 5, the same day the WRENCH is celebrating the 10th annual Cycle of Giving.
Every year, volunteers come together to build as many bikes as possible within 24 hours using bicycles and parts saved from local landfill and recycling sites. The WRENCH partners with local organizations, schools and families to subsequently distribute the bikes to kids.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers have been building bikes in their home-based or private shops since the beginning of November. “This decentralised build will culminate on Dec. 5, a day of simultaneous bike building at shops throughout the city,” a news release said.
“We’ve got more than two dozen people, individuals, and also bike shops, building bikes as we speak,” Sjoberg said.
“On the day of Dec. 5, we’re treating it as a celebratory kind of day where everyone’s building at the same time. And so, we’re going to encourage people to be connecting over social media and sharing what they’re doing in their homes. And then we’ll distribute the bikes after Dec. 5.”
Leading up to that Saturday, the WRENCH will be posting on its social media pages stories and histories of Winnipeg bike culture and activism.
Also different this year, the WRENCH is gifting individuals items for their donations.
If someone donates $30 or more, they will receive a screen-printed WRENCH t-shirt with artwork by Sarah Thiessen, the organization’s volunteer co-ordinator.
Someone who donates $60 or more will receive a WRENCH t-shirt and raffle ticket for one of three hand-painted helmets by Graffiti Gallery-affiliated artist Marco Muller.
A donation of $100 or more will earn the donor a WRENCH t-shirt and raffle ticket for a hand-painted bike by Art City-affiliated artist Kiana Fontaine.
More information can be found online at thewrench.ca