MOVING FORWARD AFTER A TOUGH WEEK!
| Halloween 2021 knocked us on our back as our Free Bikes 4 Kidz MNwarehouse was burglarized late Sunday night, October 31, and into the early hours of November 1, just when we thought we were turning the 2021 corner post pandemic. We are still calculating the damage, but so far, we’ve identified losses of more than $13K, primarily electronics and tools that are essential to our ability to repair the bikes we collect so they’re safe and in top shape when we distribute them. These include computers, monitors, iPads, tablets, inventory barcode scanning and printing equipment as well as tools and parts that our lean but mighty mechanics need to do their jobs. They even took Kryptonite ULocks, folding locks, and other accessories that we give with the bikes to prepare kids for the best possible experience. This all profoundly affects our production capacity. Those who stole from us took more than stuff. They stole from the kids waiting for bikes, the volunteers who work so hard to finish the bikes, the donors and partners who trust our stewardship and cause, and the very communities in which they live. The burglary profoundly affected our production capacity. Brooklyn Center Police are investigating. Despite this serious set-back and mess (took the full week to clean up), our spirit and focus will not be broken, and we remain hopeful that the community and our supportive donors will help us do what we need to do to get kids on bikes. FB4K MN will not stay down for long. While we were able to cobble together enough tools to continue for the week, our goal is to get back to full capacity and overcome this setback with help from all of you. There are two primary/simple ways to help: Consider donating to our fundraiser! https://fb4kMN.org/donate/Come in for a volunteer shift – bring yourself or a group. We’ll take all the help we can get! https://fb4kMN.org/volunteer or email laurie@fb4kmn.org to schedule a shift. We are thankful that nobody was hurt during last week’s break-in and remain grateful for the community who continues to rally around us. On behalf of all of us at FB4K MN, I thank you in advance for any help (through a financial donation or your volunteer time) you can provide. |
| Moving Forward After a Tough Week |
