Asylum seekers receive free bikes in Greenwood
Newly arrived asylum seekers received free bikes on Wednesday as part of a collaborative effort from local nonprofits and city agencies.
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Newly arrived asylum seekers received free bikes on Wednesday as part of a collaborative effort from local nonprofits and city agencies.
The giveaway, which took place in Greenwood, gave people like Ecuadorian migrant Anderson Villa a new way to get around. He arrived two months ago and was one of the 200 recipients of a bike at the giveaway.
“I’ve been walking, I’d be nervous riding the subway because I have gotten lost on the subway for hours before,” said Villa.
This first batch of bikes has been collected since January and refurbished for safe use. These asylum seekers all have a new set of wheels thanks to a collaboration between Mixteca, an organization that helps provide resources and workplace training for asylum seekers, along with Bike New York, city agencies and other nonprofits.
"Now they're going to be able to go and find a job,” said Lorena Kourousias, executive director of Mixteca. “Not only that but they're going to be able to go to places they have the right to enjoy."
More bikes are expected to be given out next month, and Bike New York says it is looking for more bike donations from residents to help out more asylum seekers.
