What kind of bikes are you looking for? 

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We are looking for kid's bikes in good working condition that we can donate to low income families for children under 12.  We specialize in children's bikes (with wheel sizes from 12" to 20").   

Here are some donation guidelines:

• Bike should have all major parts—including two good/straight wheels, handlebars, seatpost, chains, and pedals. Tires that just need air are ok.
• Bike does not have rusted or immobile parts.
• Bike frame and fork (the portion of a bicycle that holds the front wheel) should not have more than minor dents.
• Bike parts should have all pieces included and installed. Please do not donate broken or dismantled parts and/or parts with missing pieces.

These guidelines help to make sure that we don’t receive bikes that require too much time and effort to repair and end up making large piles of bike materials that we don’t use.

What about helmets and locks?

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Donations of new helmets or helmet vouchers would be greatly appreciated as well! For safety reasons, we cannot take previously used helmets for donation.  We can always use locks, bells and lights that are in working condition.     

Do you pick up? 

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Local pick up is available within the boundaries of St. Clair, Dufferin, Bayview and Wilson in Toronto.  We would love to pick up all bikes across Toronto but this is the largest area possible for pick ups which allows us to keep this project sustainable.  This can also change depending on available volunteers, so if you're fairly close to these boundaries, please check in with us anyway to see if we can work something out.  If you're in the pick up area, please contact donate@myfirstwheels.ca and we'll arrange a time that works for you!

Is there a drop off location? 

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Yes!  We have storage near Eglinton and Laird and can arrange a date and time to coordinate the drop off.

Do you donate the bike directly to kids? 

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We collect "ride ready" bikes, clean them up, and partner with community service organizations to donate the bicycles to children living in low-income neighbourhoods. 

Do you need sponsors? 

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Most definitely!  
 

My first wheels is a grassroots organization receives no United Way or Government funding and therefore relies upon foundations, corporations and individuals to keep it going. We are always welcoming new financial support in the form of program funding or sponsorships.

How awesome is this for the environment?   

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Bikes give joy to kids.  And there's more!  Every 100 bikes kept out of landfills per year:

= will divert about 1 tonne of metal = will offset 6 tons of C02 (about the amount a car driven 62,000 kilometers, or the amount of C02 absorbed by 1.5 acres of trees). 

= conserves about 85 MBTUs of energy; enough to heat a 1500 square foot home for almost the entire winter.

Pretty cool!

check out this eco calculator or check out your carbon footprint here.