Roots to Harvest weren’t without transportation for long.
Late last week the community garden’s staff awoke to find the city’s criminal element had struck their Cornwall Street greenhouse, stealing five bicycles owned by the cooperative and one belonging to a staff members.
Reaching out to the public paid off handsomely.
Organizer Erin Beagle said Thursday the people of Thunder Bay acted quickly to ensure the group had replacement bikes, allowing them to transport their crops to bus terminals on both sides of town.
On Thursday Beagle was setting up shop at city hall, where eager produce shoppers flocked to their table.
“Friday night we had phone calls, emails, Facebook messages telling us they had bikes, that they would work with their friends to get money to buy a bike, that they would canvass their friends to get donated bikes,” Beagle said.
“Between Friday and Monday we were already back up to six bikes, which was the original (number) that was stolen. We were able to replace our staff-person’s bike that was stolen ... Today we’re at city hall with some of the bikes that were donated and we would not be here without them because the kids we brought today, they don’t have their own bikes.”
The rapid response says a lot about the people of Thunder Bay, Beagle added.
“To me it says people know how to be supportive, how to be generous. People’s immediate response was how can I help. There were a few comments on media (stories) saying isn’t the crime bad in Thunder Bay?
“The good news story about this is, isn’t Thunder Bay amazing?”
