After hurricane Katrina New Orleans found itself in a desperate situation and it was even more important than usual for residents to have access to bicycles. Public transportation was shut down and even grocery stores were hard to find in some neighborhoods.
On November 29th 2005, Recycle-A-Bicycle raised money towards this desperate situation. The money that was raised was used to send 5 mechanics to New Orleans. From December 1- 7 2005, Jared Bunde and other mechanics worked with friends from The New Orleans Community Bike Project. The bicycles were then distributed to returning residents, and in most cases sold for $15, a fraction of their true value. Bicycles were also distributed free of charge to community groups and other residents that were the hardest hit.
These mechanics donated a week of work to the New Orleans community bike project, an organization run entirely by volunteers. There were limited open shop hours when someone could bring in their bicycle and receive guidance on the completion of repairs or purchase a refurbished bicycle.

Working Bikes in Chicago organized a collection of bicycles and shipped them to Plan B. They had collected close to 500 bicycles. With limited staff, Plan B was in desperate need of some labor and that's where Recycle-A-Bicycle came in. Jared Bunde and others worked together, putting together over 100 bikes in six days.
Jared Bunde concluded, "This was a rewarding and slightly overwhelming experience; the devastation the city has experienced is tremendous. My thoughts are with the residents of this culturally rich and beautiful city as they rebuild their homes".
Recycle-A-Bicycle is dedicated to community and environmental initiatives. Our main goal was to provide a means of transport to the residents of New Orleans in a time of great hardship. We hope to be able to help populations plauged by disaster in the future.
Click here to view more photos. Photos by: Chad Graf