Bikes For Christ has just launched a new retail program in partnership with Lighthouse Ministries at its Brandon store location. This initiative will act as its ‘social enterprise’ program, which is a term nonprofits use when they add a way of generating income to help support their overhead.
Bikes For Christ will be selling some of its nicest and higher-end bicycles so it can continue to serve the low-income population in our community.
Bikes For Christ currently partners with over 50 organizations in the Tampa Bay area by supplying bicycles as transportation to the clients that these agencies work with. Its main focuses are veterans trying to overcome hardships, underprivileged children and anyone who is in need and is trying to climb out of the grips of poverty or the situation they are in.
Along with every bike it gives out, it also provides a Gospel of John, as it wants that individual to know that Christ cares for and loves them.
Bikes For Christ Founder Pat Simmons said that it “had been trying to come up with a way to raise more funds for a long time.”
With the impact of COVID-19, two things occurred that meant the time had arrived. First, all public events were shut down, meaning fundraisers were cancelled. Secondly, because of everyone “being safe at home,” people rediscovered their love of cycling, causing a huge shortage of bicycles nationwide.
Bikes For Christ was able to overcome the adversity of not being able to fundraise the traditional way by creating its own way to generate capital.
Simmons knew that Bikes For Christ had to have a retail storefront to be able to accomplish this, so he reached out to Lighthouse Ministries Brandon Manager Kyle Bridges, and within a day an agreement was in place.
Bridges, also an avid cyclist, stated, “From our side of this, we are just happy to be partnering with another ministry committed to helping those at risk in our community while communicating the gospel. It takes the entire body of Christ to accomplish the mission He has set us on. We at Lighthouse appreciate the opportunity to do our part alongside Bikes For Christ as co-laborers for the love of people and for God’s glory.”
Simmons added, “We look forward to a long-term partnership with Lighthouse Ministries that will help us accomplish so much more with our life-changing bicycles.”
Lighthouse Ministries’ Brandon retail store is located at 535 E. Brandon Blvd. Visit Bikes For Christ’s website at www.Bikes4Christ.com.
