Sponsored by the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance

Anyone with an adult or child's bicycle in repairable condition is urged to donate it from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Saturday June 14, RAIN OR SHINE, at the West Windsor Community Farmers' Market, on Vaughn Drive off Alexander Road in the parking lot of the Princeton Junction Train Station. The collection is sponsored by the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance to help support Pedals for Progress and its efforts to keep discarded bicycles out of landfills and get to them to use again in a "second life" in developing nations worldwide.

Pedals for Progress, Every year, Americans buy 22 million new bicycles and discard millions of old ones, abandoning many more unused in basements, sheds, and garages; most end-up in our already overburdened landfills. Meanwhile, less fortunate people overseas need affordable, non-polluting transportation to access health care, jobs, markets, and schools. Pedals for Progress, a New Jersey-based nonprofit, is working to towards alternatives to meet both needs.

Pedals for Progress processed and donated over 100,000 bicycles, 793 used sewing machines and $10.8 million in new spare parts to partner charities in 28 countries. Partner agencies in these countries train community members to recondition the bikes and distribute them at low cost to poor working adults. The bikes provide reliable transportation for the recipients, who use them for commuting to school and work, taking produce to market, or accessing heath care and other services. For additional information about Pedals for Progress go to its Web site at www.p4p.org or check out the reviews of the 2006 Bike collection.

Pedals for Progress cannot accept "bikes for parts" or disassembled bikes. It costs $28 to collect, process, ship, rebuild and distribute each bicycle. A donation toward shipping costs is necessary (suggested minimum $10 per bike). All cash and material donations are fully tax deductible and a receipt will be available at the collection site. P4P also accepts working portable sewing machines.

Members and volunteers (teens and adults) will help donors unload their bicycles and prepare them for shipping. Additional volunteers are welcome and the WWBPA encourages youth looking to fulfill community service requirements or those who just want to help out a good cause to get in touch by email at wwbikeped@gmail.com or call (609) 275-6355 or (609) 936-1916.

Thanks in advance for your support of this good cause!