Harrisburg Bicycle Recycle update
Larry P Wasser | Published on 1/18/2022
Harrisburg bike repair shop hopes to keep Dr. King’s dream alive by promoting community service year-round
Updated: Jan. 17, 2022, 4:04 p.m. | Published: Jan. 17, 2022, 3:58 p.m.
By Jimmie Brown | jbrown2@pennlive.com
Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg has served its community for years now by providing a place to repair bicycles for children and adults.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was no different than any other day for the shop, according to Pam Hirschhorn, a 10-year volunteer for Recycle Bicycle. Serving others, she said, shouldn’t only last one day a year.
“I love MLK Jr. Day, I love the idea that it is a day of service it’s fantastic and I love it,” she said. “We have people out here always trying to volunteer but let’s keep his spirit alive [the other] 364 days a year!”
Today, the bicycle shop opened its doors during regular operational hours, which ran from noon until 4 p.m. The shop’s purpose is collecting and restoring used, damaged and abandoned bicycles. It also helps people who bring bikes into the shop do their own repairs.
Bicycle education and maintenance are also taught to visitors of the shop to ensure safety.
“If you need a bike then come on in and pick one that fits you,” she said. “Then you will fix it, that is the key. We have all the parts and the tools; [the] only thing that will cost you is $7 for the lock and chain.”
Seven days a week Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg is hard at work, with 30 different volunteers helping out to get the job done.
In order to volunteer, helpers of the shop do not need prior knowledge to help repair and fix bicycles. Staff members teach and provide newcomers with everything they would need to complete the job.
Volunteers can be tasked with several different opportunities throughout the shop such as handling the website and media, sorting and fixing inner tubes, handling children customers, and even helping sorting bicycles.
Serving others is something the bicycle shop has taken great pride in, being a part of the Harrisburg community for so many years. It is the mission of the shop to continue doing so into the future.
“Let’s go beyond Martin Luther King Jr. Day and honor his memory by volunteering in your community,” she said. “We really have to keep the spirit that we are Harrisburg, we work together, and together we are strong!”