LOUISVILLE, KY. – Goodwill Kentucky has received a donation of 15 retired police bicycles from the Louisville Metro Police Department to support the nonprofit’s Last Mile to Work program, which helps working individuals overcome transportation barriers.
The donation was coordinated through Officer Chris Hodge, who has partnered with Goodwill Kentucky for the past two years to support the program. In recognition of National Bike Month, Hodge coordinated the donation of the retired bicycles, which he valued at approximately $75 each, totaling an estimated in-kind donation of $1,125. In addition to previously donating bike parts, Hodge has worked to raise awareness of the initiative and connect resources that help expand transportation access for individuals working toward long-term stability and employment success.
Goodwill Kentucky’s Last Mile to Work program provides refurbished bicycles and safety equipment to individuals who may not otherwise have reliable transportation to their place of employment. The donated bicycles will help more program participants travel safely and consistently.
“Transportation remains one of the most significant barriers many individuals face when trying to secure and maintain employment,” said Glenn Todd, Last Mile to Work program manager. “This donation from LMPD and Officer Hodge will directly impact the lives of people working hard to achieve stability and independence.”
Last year, the Last Mile to Work team helped 428 employed individuals maintain reliable transportation to work. As of May 10, the program has already assisted 130 individuals this year.
The team consists of three part-time staff members working approximately 44 hours per week and eight volunteers contributing an average of 35 hours per week. The team includes cyclists, a retired bike mechanic, and a retired machinist. Daily operations include rebuilding bikes for placement, performing repair services, matching bikes to referrals, coordinating with career coaches and referral partners, maintaining placement data, providing orientation for recipients, managing inventory, stripping unusable bikes for parts and recycling, picking up local donations, and delivering bikes to Lexington.
For more information, visit GoodwillKY.org. To support the program, consider donating your gently used bicycle to Goodwill Kentucky.
About Goodwill Kentucky
For more than 100 years, Goodwill Kentucky has helped Kentuckians find pathways out of poverty through the transformative power of work. Operating in 103 of Kentucky’s 120 counties, Goodwill Kentucky places over 3,000 Kentuckians into jobs each year through its 1,400-plus employer partners and its own retail stores. These life-changing opportunities are made possible through donations to our stores and community support. The organization reinvests approximately 90 cents of every dollar earned in its retail stores into job training and workforce programs. When you give to Goodwill, you do a lot of good.