SoPo Bikes: Reinstate Whole Foods fundraiser for homeless
September 11, 2008 at 11:33 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsThe Sopo Bicycle Cooperative, a local nonprofit that helps people find and fix velocipedes, is asking its members to considerately urge Whole Foods to reinstate the fundraiser it canceled because of pressure from a Midtown neighborhood group.
According to a message posted on MySpace by Rachael Spiewak, Sopo’s executive director, the fundraiser to benefit the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless was organized by a cooperative intern from Paideia High School and an Americorps volunteer at the task force.
We all came together to create an on-site bicycle repair shop that provides access to an environmentally responsible form of transportation as well as opportunities to learn marketable skills. Skill building and reliable transportation are necessary for everyday life, and will help our friends at Taskforce access jobs and independent living.
Get Sopo’s take on the matter — as well as who to call at Whole Foods if you want them to know how you feel — after the jump.
(Special thanks to Christa at PecanneLog for the tip and message)
Date: Sep 11, 2008 10:26 PM
Subject: Whole Foods Cancels Bike Shop Fundraiser.. Your Help Needed!
Body: Dear friends and neighbors,On Wednesday, September 10, 2008, Whole Foods on Ponce canceled a 5% Day* fundraiser to support an Earn-A-Bike program at Taskforce for the Homeless because the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance threatened to boycott the store. Sopo Bicycle Cooperative is a community partner in this project, along with Paideia High School and Americorps. We would like to offer some clarification about the project, and to ask you to support us by asking Whole Foods to reinstate its commitment to Taskforce by rescheduling 5% Day.
The Taskforce Earn-A-Bike project was created by a Sopo intern from Paideia High School and an Americorps Volunteer at Taskforce who wanted to make independent transportation accessible for Taskforce Resident Volunteers (people who complete volunteer commitments at the shelter in order to reside there). We all came together to create an on-site bicycle repair shop that provides access to an environmentally responsible form of transportation as well as opportunities to learn marketable skills. Skill building and reliable transportation are necessary for everyday life, and will help our friends at Taskforce access jobs and independent living.
Sopo and Taskforce for the Homeless are asking Ponce Whole Foods to reinstate its commitment to Taskforce by rescheduling 5% Day.
You can help by calling or emailing:Lesley Sifford
[lesley(dot)sifford(at)wholefoods(dot)com]
404-853-1681Let’s keep it positive. Ponce Whole Foods staff members selected this project to be the beneficiary of 5% Day. Let’s be supportive and friendly as we work together to make sure Ponce Whole Foods follows through with its promise.
*On a designated 5% day, 5% of store sales are set aside and donated to a local nonprofit.
Sincerely,
Rachael Spiewak, MSW
Executive Director
Sopo Bicycle Cooperative404-425-9989
www. sopobikes. org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hours of operation:
Tues, Wed, & Thurs 7 pm – 10 pm
Sat & Sun 2 pm – 6 pm
September 12th, 2008 at 12:02 am
I’m sure Sopo Bicycle Cooperative’s idea is well intentioned. I’m all for helping people get jobs and get to them. The issue has nothing to do with Sopo Bicycle Cooperative, but with the organization they have chosen to partner with.
They should choose to work with a reputable organization, such as the United Way’s Regional Commission on Homelessness or the Gateway Center. These organizations have a much better track record actually helping people, which Creative Loafing has chronicled.
There is a reason that the Task Force is no longer eligible for federal or city funding – they do not provide effective assistance to homeless, they refuse to cooperate with other regional care providers (notice they are not involved with the Regional Commission, and they have worked in the past to undermine it), and their presence is a blight on the local community.
Also, can someone clarify for me if Paideia high school itself is involved, or if the intern is simply a student there?
cross posted at Terminal Station.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:13 am
B,
I haven’t reached out to Rachael yet. (I’m a gent, dammit, and can’t call someone this late at night.) But you’re right — the school’s involvement isn’t clear from the above message.
September 13th, 2008 at 10:45 am
On Friday, September 12, Ponce Whole Foods contacted Taskforce and Sopo to tell us that they are honoring their original commitment to dedicate last Wednesday’s 5% Day to Taskforce for the Homeless. They are making a fantastic contribution directly to the shelter, which will be spent on opening and operating the bicycle shop where the Earn-A-Bike program will take place. We look forward to continuing to partner with Taskforce and other agencies who want to pursue access to cycling and bicycle repair for all!