Helping Veterans Get Bicycles Since 2011
In 2010, Gwen Strain and Rose Home began visiting veterans at the VA Presidio in San Francisco. There, they realized that many veterans were struggling financially and could not get around without walking or taking public transportation.
How We Began
Afterward, they saw how bicycles would greatly help in providing veterans with transportation, exercise, and improving their overall well-being.
Through their connections with the San Francisco Bike Coalition and the San Francisco Sheriff Department, they began to repair and refurbish abandoned, stolen, and unclaimed bicycles in order to donate them. Two years later, the San Francisco Police Department opened its warehouse, donating hundreds of bicycles each year.
Through an agreement with local bicycle groups and a handful of volunteers, Gwen was able to secure, repair, and refurbish over a hundred bicycles prior to the second Christmas year, where she staged a bicycle giveaway to nearly 100 veterans.
Since then, the San Francisco Veterans Lions Club, chartered in 2014 by Gwen and its international director Ken Ibarra, has continued to partner with the San Francisco SOMA Rotary Club, SFPD, Lions Veterans Charities, Inc., and other local businesses to provide up to 100 free bicycles annually.