TAMPA, Fla. — If you’re thinking about gifting a bicycle to a loved one for Christmas, instead of going to a store, why not go to a ministry? That’s what Sacred Heart Church is suggesting. This Saturday, their Bikes from the Heart program is holding its largest fundraiser of the year.
What was once a convent for nuns at Sacred Heart Church, is now the Bikes from the Heart repair shop, which has restored more than 1,200 bicycles in the past two years, delivering them to families in need throughout Tampa Bay.
Tom Henry and Tim Eves started Bikes from the Heart because they saw a need in the community that could be fixed, literally, with a little elbow grease, a couple of tools, and a lot of heart.
“If the nuns could just see us now, we’ve definitely taken over their spaces, but I think they’d enjoy what our mission is,” said Henry.
From homeless shelters to schools to individual families, Bikes from the Heart is always looking to provide bikes to those who can’t afford their own set of wheels.
“On our application, we ask them, ‘Why do you need a bike,’ and I was talking to one woman, and she looked at me, and she just let out a big sigh, ‘I’m just tired of walking,’” said Eves.
Inside the old Sacred Heart convent, bikes are lined up in different rooms, some ready to be fixed, others awaiting delivery.
“As you walk through the convent you’ll see the chapel, we stored a lot of our rebuilt bikes in the chapel, you can go upstairs, we’ve got bikes stored where the nuns used to sleep and live,” said Eves.
It’s all made possible thanks to a team of volunteers like Tim Monks.
“I’ve got a rim over here that was just about bent in half that I’m repairing, and it’s just fun to take something that wouldn’t work, and here you go, now it’s all like new,” said Monks.
This Saturday at 9 a.m., outside Sacred Heart Academy, located at 3515 North Florida, they will hold a special bike sale. It’s their largest fundraiser of the year.
“Road bikes, mountain bikes, kids’ bikes, we are going to sell them or basically give the bikes away for a donation, and then all the money that comes from the sale of these bikes will go right back into buying parts and tools and everything else,” said Monks.
Inside the repair shop, a wall is filled with photos of community members who have received one of their bikes. They say the more people who support their cause, the more photos they can add to the wall.
“This woman up here in the corner was a recipient of one of our very first bicycles, and she rode a beach cruiser all the way from here to Sarasota,” said Eves.
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