Dr. Patrick Byakatonda, Director, Directorate of Industrial Training, has today, 11 Feb 2023, commissioned 252 youths at the Mityana Open Troop Foundation & Vocational Institute.
All posts by Michael Sabrio
2022 Annual Report: 10/01/21 to 09/30/22
Pedals for Progress, a New Jersey nonprofit corporation, empowers sustainable economic development by recycling bicycles and sewing machines from the U.S. and shipping them to motivated people in the developing world. Pedals for Progress (P4P) is a nonprofit charity incorporated under the laws of New Jersey, and registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code (EIN: 22-3122003). An eleven-member unpaid board of trustees oversees a paid staff of 4 and a network of hundreds of volunteers.
2022 Highlights
Pedals for Progress shipped 5 containers and 3 LCL (Less than Container Load) shipments for a total of 2,322 bicycles, and 514 sewing machines, to 7 nonprofit agency partners in 7 developing countries. This brings cumulative donations shipped since 1991 to 166,006 bicycles, 6,043 sewing machines.
We concentrated our collection operations in New Jersey and in the New York City and Philadelphia suburbs increasing our efficiency. Our bicycle and sewing machine collections were sponsored by 26 community partners in four states.
New Leadership
P4p has a new president. At their 14 August 2022 meeting, the P4P Board of Trustees approved the transition plan that’s been in the works since 2021. David Schweidenback, founder and President from 1991 until now, is now Vice President, International Programs. Alan Schultz is our new President.
2022 Shipments
Recipients of Fiscal 2022 Bicycle Container Shipments
Association Défi et Révolution de la Vie Rural (DRVR), Togo (927 bicycles and 123 sewing machines in two shipments)- Fundación Integral de Desarrollo Sostenible y Medio Oriente (FIDESMA), San Andres Ixtapa, Guatemala (470 bikes and 15 sewing machines)
- P4P/Belize, Belize (473 bicycles and 100 sewing machines)
- Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association (452 bicycles and 60 sewing machines)
Started the year 10/1/21 with 315 bicycles in inventory.
Ended the year 9/30/22 with 646 bicycles remaining in inventory.
2022 Total Shipped 2,322, Total Collected 2,503
Bicycle Shipments by Region
| Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 60% | 68% |
| Asia | 0% | 0% |
| Central America | 40% | 15% |
| Eastern Europe | 0% | 17% |
Recipients of Fiscal 2022 Sewing Machine LCL Shipments
- Rising Hope Foundation for Change, Cameroon (72 sewing machines)
- Mityana Open Troop Foundation, Uganda (72 sewing machines)
- Hiran Youth Council, Somalia (72 sewing machines)
Started the year 10/1/21 with 73 sewing machines in inventory.
Ended the year 9/30/22 with 220 sewing machines in inventory.
2022 Total Shipped 514, Total Collected 617
Sewing Machines Shipments by Region
| Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 78% | 81% |
| Asia | 0% | 0% |
| Central America | 22% | 7% |
| Eastern Europe | 0% | 12% |
Overseas Partners
During the year, Pedals for Progress focused on a small number of reliable partners for the majority of our shipments.
The most critical factors in creating a sustainable, self-financing partnership are shipping costs and effective administration by our overseas partners. Experience has proven that when the shipping costs are at or below $15 per bike or $10 per sewing machine, with good management, this cost is low enough to sustain a self-financing partnership. Without charitable donations, grants or other funding, Pedals for Progress is limited to working primarily in Central America and the Caribbean, while Africa and Eastern Europe require subsidies to pay their higher shipping costs. Overseas distribution success is determined by per unit cost. Landlocked countries remain beyond our reach due to excessive inland transportation costs. Domestic shipping is also expensive; our domestic inland trucking costs to get shipments to port have more than doubled in the last five years.
While our primary goal is to supply environmentally sound transportation to communities and stimulate the greater movement of goods and services, our partners often generate extra funds from the bikes we ship them. These windfall funds, in turn, finance a breadth of community development activities.
Still, we are hopeful that other partner organizations, including some that did not receive bikes in 2022, will pay all or most expenses for new shipments in fiscal 2023, or subsidies will be found to initiate new programs.
Continuing Partners
- Cameroon: Rising Hope for Change, Limbe
- Guatemala: Fundación Integral de Desarrollo Sostenible y Medio Oriente (FIDESMA), San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenango
- Rwanda: Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, Kigali
- Tanzania: The Norbert and Friends Foundation, Arusha
- Togo: Association Défi et Révolution de la Vie Rurale (DRVR), Vogan
- Uganda: The Mityana Open Troop Foundation, Mityana
- Belize: P4P/Belize, Belize City
- Somalia: Hiran Youth Council, Mogadishu
New Partners 2022
P4P/Belize, Belize City, Belize. We shipped a container of 473 bicycles and 100 sewing machines.
Hiran Youth Council, Mogadishu, Somalia. We shipped 72 sewing machines.
Finances
2022 was a turbulent but good year for Pedals for Progress finances. We started fiscal 2022 in a strong financial position with a strong balance sheet. Our operating income relies on four primary income streams: cash donations with bikes and sewing machines, cash donations from the twice-annual solicitation, corporate donations, and revolving funds and fees from our international partners. Solicitations were not as positive as years prior, but larger donations from a few long-term supporters helped us meet our solicitation goals. Direct corporate donations have been decreasing over the past twenty years due to a focus on employee matching programs. As a category, corporate donations also exceeded budget expectations largely due to David’s efforts with a historic donor. Our sustaining international partners are expected to reimburse Pedals for Progress for the cost of containers or LCL shipments. These are categorized as “revolving funds”: the partners save income to pay for successive shipments. This category met expectations as the number of containers shipped to sustaining partners met the plan. Overall, 2022 operating income exceeded budget.
Operating expenses include four large categories: employee and officers compensation, shipping and packing, collections expenses, and office rent. In 2022, employee and officer’s compensation exceeded budget largely due to the addition of the Vice President of Operation. Shipping and packing expenses were higher than expected largely due to the increased cost of shipping and fuel. Collection expenses, office rent, and all remaining minor expenses categories met expectations.
P4P in 2022 had a few extraordinary items. P4P has a conservative investment policy. 2022 was a good period for stocks, bonds, and mutual funds as they generally increased in value. These generated other income for P4P as did some of the stock donations.
Overall, 2022 exceeded financial expectations for P4P.
Balance sheet and profit and loss statements are attached.
Corporate Donors
FedEx continues to deliver to New Jersey, at no cost, the bicycles collected by the Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, based in Burlington, Vermont.
General Pallet, at no cost, supplies the specialized pallets required for international shipping of SP sewing machines.
Thank you to the many corporations that participate through matching gifts.
We are very thankful for the support of these organizations and the recognition they have given us.
Key Volunteers
Pedals for Progress depends on the efforts of volunteers, several hundred of them, to publicize and work collections, prep bikes for shipping, help us warehouse bikes, and eventually load them into containers bound for our partner agencies overseas.
We would like to thank Daryl Detrick with the Warren Hills Regional HS Computer Science Club for all of their volunteer hours helping to pack outgoing shipments. A special thanks to Michael Sabrio for managing at bike collections and taking over the Webmaster duties. We thank our Tinkerers Dennis Smyth and Mary O’Brien for their excellent work refurbishing many of the sewing machines we shipped.
We especially thank these collectors:
- Jerry Agasar with the Newtown, PA, Rotary Club: 159 bikes and 21 sewing machines
- Casey Walsh with Faith Lutheran Church: 116 bikes and 5 sewing machines
- Joanne Heidkamp with the Green Mountain RPCVs: 249 bikes and 155 sewing machines
- Christine Potts with St. John’s Episcopal Church: 165 bikes and 24 sewing machines
- Daryl Detrick with the Warren Hills HS Computer Science Club: 153 bikes and 53 sewing machines
2022 Collection Sponsors
Bernardsville United Methodist Church
Blooming Glen Mennonite Church
Chester County Solid Waste Authority
Clinton Presbyterian Church
Emmanuel Bible Church
Episcopal Church of St. James
Faith Lutheran Church
Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Long Island Returned Peace Corps Volunteers with Youth of Ethical Societies
New Dover United Methodist Church
Passaic County Office of Solid Waste & Recycling
Patriots’ Path Council – Raritan Valley District with Troop 14
Rotary Club of Branchburg
Rotary Club of Fair Lawn
Rotary Club of Flemington
Rotary Club of Newtown, Pennsylvania
Rotary Club of Norristown, Pennsylvania
Rotary Club of The Palisades
Rotary Club of Westfield
Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
St. John’s Episcopal Church
Warren Hills Regional High School Computer Science Club
Washington Alliance Church
Will and Tyler Sussis
Woman’s Club of Paramus
Program Challenges
Pedals for Progress faced several challenges in our fiscal 2022 year but ended the year on a strong and positive note. Most of these challenges stem from rippling effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, inflation, and increased prices of gasoline and shipping.
Internally, the organization had to take on a larger budget than usual to ensure an effective transition to our new leadership. As we planned in 2021, Alan Schultz was elected President in August 2022 and founder David Schweidenback became Vice President of International Programs. The internal transition proved to be effective, but the added salary was burdensome.
The bicycles collected this year continue to be the highest quality bikes that we have ever collected. The most common brand name was Trek and we collected over 80% mountain bikes in the adult bike category. The vast majority of bikes we collected were originally sold in a bike shop for a relatively high price. P4P collected almost no lesser quality mass merchandise bikes that are sold at big box stores like Walmart.
Though the quality of bikes was higher than ever, our volume was significantly down due to the pandemic. The fall collection season was successful and helped us ship the majority of our five containers for the 2022 fiscal year. However, spring collections were down significantly as the average number of bikes was lower than years prior. As we are reliant on the success of collections to keep us financially active, we had to rely heavily on our summer solicitation to help us keep up with our added salary line and general operations.
The summer solicitation was not as successful as we would like but by the end of August, we were able to rebound thanks to several large donations from some long-time supporters. These donations allowed us to finish off the year on a positive note and remain cash positive.
Pedals for Progress developed partnerships worldwide to diversify relationships and reduce the risk of events in one country or region negatively affecting our operations. Since reduction of transportation costs is doubtful, we are seeking sponsorships to supplement our African and other high cost partnerships. Partner programs in Central America, which have a landed cost of under $15 per bike, are successful financially and require no further subsidies to continue shipments. P4P inland partners in Eastern Europe and Africa will fail without financial support. International shipping costs in these regions run from $16 per bike on the coast to as high as $38 inland (Uganda).
Shipping the sewing machines within bicycles shipments makes the delivery of these heavy objects affordable. However, our bicycle partners need relatively few sewing machines. The challenge is to find the funding to deliver machines to small sewing programs like the Mityana Open Troop Foundation in Uganda or to get them delivered very inexpensively. Most new sewing projects require only two pallets of machines; we pack 36 machines on a pallet. Due to that low volume, we previously shipped via air freight, which is very expensive. P4P developed in 2013 the capacity to ship by boat individual pallets of sewing machines at a very reasonable cost. This low-cost shipping allows us to expand our small standalone sewing machine projects globally.
Goals for 2023
During fiscal 2023, Pedals for Progress plans to ship approximately 3,600 bicycles and 600 sewing machines. Collection sites where we send our personnel will be limited to New Jersey and the greater suburbs of New York and Philadelphia. Bicycles collected outside this region need to be delivered to our New Jersey warehouse by the collection sponsors.
Pedals for Progress challenges are financial, not supply-side driven. With more funding, we can collect significantly more bikes within our current footprint and initiate more programs internationally. Increasing production requires more staff for attending potential collections and more vehicles on the road. The operational costs of producing the bicycles and sewing machines are significant. P4P is unable to accept bicycles without an accompanying cash donation; this limits production. Most large charities do not like to give money for operational expenses, but in our case, it is the collection efforts that produce the product we deliver. In many ways, you can think of P4P as a trucking company. Every trip in the truck produces more bicycles and sewing machines, our products. These products make the difference globally by helping people in need help themselves.
2022 Board of Trustees
Jamie Acosta
Jerry Agasar
John Alexander, Secretary and Assistant Treasurer
Daryl Detrick
Ann Fitzgerald
Sarah Jannsch
Richard Millhiser, Chair
David Schweidenback, Treasurer and VP, International Programs
Casey Walsh
Andrew Williams
Bob Zeh
Staff
Alan Schultz, President
David Schweidenback, VP, International Programs and Founder
Michael Sabrio, Webmaster
Gary Michel, VP, In-kind donations
Robert Delghiaccio, Warehouseman
Lori Smith, Office Manager
Further information about Pedals for Progress is available at www.p4p.org. This includes our financial statements, IRS Form 990s, and information about our 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt status.
To receive our newsletters or information on how to collect bikes and/or sewing machines, contact alan@p4p.org. To request a donation of a container of bicycles or sewing machines, contact Dave at dschweidenback@gmail.com.
December 2022: FIDESMA, Guatemala, Container #23
Dear David,
We want to inform you that we have the bikes at the FIDESMA Foundation. Because of problems at the shipping companies, we had some trouble getting the container out of the port. The companies resolved their problems and we finally got the container. We have unpacked it. Here is the inventory:
| Description | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bicycles: mountain, BMX, touring, and road bikes |
455 |
| Parts | 23 bags: helmets, wheels, saddles, tires, tubes, pedals, baskets, pumps, and various other spare parts |
| Sewing machines | 15 |
| Plywood | 9 |
We are now working to clean, lubricate, and repair the bikes. And we are working on the other activities we must do to make them ready to sell. The bikes will be ready to display in our shop in plenty of time for Christmas. Everything will be fine.
We at FIDESMA thank you for this shipment. We are sure that the people – adults, youths, and children – will be very grateful when we deliver the bicycles to their communities and they can use their bikes for work, sports, exercise, and travel, even travel to places far from home. Everyone thinks that it is a great benefit to be able to use a bicycle.
Margarita Caté de Catú and Colleagues
FIDESMA
December 2022
Report from Uganda, Fall 2022
By Mathew Yawe
Fall 2022 Newsletter
Mityana Open Troop Foundation is a Community-based Organization started in 1997 by a group of Boy Scouts who had been affected by socioeconomic issues leading to dropping out of school and unemployment, while others had been affected by HIV/AIDS due to loss of their relatives/guardians. The high dropout rate led to high crime rates among youths in Uganda. The initiative started by conducting training on HIV/AIDS, health talk-shows, environmental protection, child nutrition in the most risky communities, promoting food security, providing support and education to vulnerable children and conducting functional adult learning to combat illiteracy.
Vocational Training Project
Because of the above concerns, our organization started a Vocational Training project in 2007 by recruiting and training vulnerable youths, widows, and orphans in sustainable skills such as sewing and fashion design, cosmetology, hair dressing, motor mechanics, and agriculture.
However, while much of our interest was in training youths in sewing and other occupational skills, we lacked the funding to afford the tools and machines that we needed.
Our project UK partner, Mr. Chris Eldridge, found the Sewing Peace Project USA, and we wrote an application for sewing machines to Mr. David Schweidenback. Sewing Peace allocated us 72 sewing machines. This was a great miracle which we were not expecting to happen!!
At the beginning, the project had two manual sewing machines shared by 30 trainees!!
The donated refurbished sewing machines to the Mityana Open Troop Foundation were in very good condition, much better than the machines being sold in Kampala. The Sewing Peace machines were installed in our sewing workshop. Some of the machines were given out to the project graduating youths as start-up machines to enable them to start their own workshops within their communities. In Uganda, a sewing machine makes a very great difference in one’s daily income!
Donated Machines Generate Income for Our Project
Some of the donated sewing machines are being sold in our shop at a cheaper price to some of the Ugandan schools, community based organizations, and artisans, who can’t afford buying the so-called new Chinese machines.
The profit from our shop is used to pay shipping costs, Ugandan custom taxes, teachers’ salaries, and electricity bills.
Achievements of the Sewing Peace Project
- As a result of the donated sewing machines since 2010, the project has received over 800 sewing machines, 451 projects graduates were provided each a start-up sewing machine.
- The Mityana Open Troop Foundation has been selling at inexpensive prices the remaining sewing machines to other Ugandan charities, schools (both secondary and primary), and individual artisans. The income from the machines we sell has enabled us to pay teachers, electricity bills, and maintenance costs.
- The project has over 40 sewing machines in the sewing workshop. This has enabled more hands-on training than when we started in 2010 with 3 machines.
- The project has become an Ugandan sewing machine importer, paying import taxes to the Government.
- The project owns a Sewing Shop in our town, equipped with an embroidery machine able to create school badges, names on uniforms, making school uniforms. The shop is selling refurbished machines to artisans, schools, and charities. These machines are much better than the Chinese machines in the market.
Our project graduates have managed supporting their families: paying for food, medication, school fees, and scholastic materials for their young brothers and sisters, and paying rent for their workshops.
The majority of our project trainees are youths who had dropped out of schools due to socioeconomic factors. Some of them were even previously selling sex on the streets at a young age for survival and without thinking of becoming pregnant or contracting STIs.
Challenges
- The project encounters challenges in raising machine shipping costs, including paying the Ugandan Custom import taxes.
- Lack of a toilet and washing rooms at our project.
- Insufficient permanent classrooms/workshops.
- Lack of clean water for trainees.
Conclusion: Many thanks to the Sewing Peace Project, USA, all volunteers involved in the collections of machines, including refurbishing activities. We also extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Chris Eldridge from the UK, who is always supportive to our project.
‘The Good You Do to Others, Comes Back To You Unknowingly.’
2022 Fall Solicitation
Fall 2022
Dear Donors, Friends, and Supporters of Pedals for Progress and Sewing Peace,
Our fall collection season started off with a bang with our first shipment of sewing machines to Somalia! We sent 72 sewing machines to Mogadishu, Somalia with the Hiran Youth Council, that were accompanied by other used goods being sent by the organization. With these machines, the Council will open a sewing school to teach young people of Mogadishu the vocation, giving them the necessary skills to develop their own small businesses. We are very excited to have this new partnership in an area of the world that desperately needs economic assistance.
With this new beginning, we would also like to report on the success of the Mityana Open Troop Foundation. Located in Mityana, Uganda, their operation has humble beginnings starting as a community-based organization led by a group of Boy Scouts in 1997, who had been affected by the overreaching socio-economic issues of the area exacerbated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. From there, the Mityana Open Troop Foundation has developed from a small training operation to a full-on economic enterprise that now has the capacity to import sewing machines from India to further fund their community outreach efforts. This is a textbook example of what Sewing Peace and Pedals for Progress wishes to achieve with our efforts. It is a success story of a small organization that grew to a commercial enterprise. We encourage you to read more about this story. It is in the latest issue of our InGear/InStitch newsletter.
These stories do not happen overnight. The success of our partners overseas relies on the work we do here in the United States. Pedals for Progress and Sewing Peace is grassroots – we rely on the commitment of locals willing to donate their items rain or shine; the groups, Rotary clubs, and religious organizations that sponsor our events; and the generosity of our donors located in and far beyond the tree-state area of New Jersey. Pedals for Progress and Sewing Peace is a network of people that want to help families in developing countries by giving them a fair shot at life. I would like to ask for your continued support and to please donate today. Thank you!
Alan Schultz, President, P4P/SP
Somalia: New Partner, 2022
By Abdi Noor
Fall 2022 Newsletter
[ Editor’s note: On September 2, 2022, we made our very first shipment to Somalia. Our partner there is the the Hiran Youth Council. Abdi Noor, a Somali now living in Portland, Maine, is our contact. Here is his message to P4P/Sewing Peace.]
I would like to sincerely thank you on behalf of the staff of the Hiran Youth Council and on behalf of the poor women and youth training in our program. From your generous donation we will be providing sewing machines to poor youth and women to earn an income through our program.
Your support has enabled us to provide free tailoring training to 72 poor youth and women, who will receive the machines after completing their courses. We are also planning to receive additional sewing machines from Sewing Peace to distribute more machines to students. Your support enabled us to provide refreshment to the poor women and youth for better learning.
Training programs like ours are great opportunities for our women and girls to further develop their marketable skills and take a step towards self-independence.
Without you, it would not be possible for them to receive this training or these machines that will allow them to start sewing at their homes. With time, they will be able to develop sewing businesses and earn a livable income.
Your support will bring them bright futures to our trainees. Many thanks again! We will keep you updated about our work and the progress of our graduates.
President’s Message, Fall 2022
By Alan Schultz
Fall 2022 Newsletter
It is that time of year again as we slow down operations for the winter until we resume collections for our Spring 2023 season. Our Fall 2022 season proved to be a short, yet jam packed collections season. We held a total 12 collections, mostly in the month of October, to close out the fall season shipping three containers of bikes and sewing machines and two loads of sewing machines. We sent 72 machines to a new partner in Somalia, and another 72 to our old friends with the Norbert and Friends missions in Tanzania. We also sent out three full containers to FIDESMA in Guatemala, P4P Belize and D.R.V.R in Togo! While we may not have had a long list of collections like years past, we did average about 84 bikes per collection and noticed a large increase of sewing machines. We were able to send our third container just before Thanksgiving, giving us plenty of room to fill up our storage facility come spring.
Moving forward, my number one goal is to strengthen our domestic operations to fill our Spring 2023 season to the brim. I want to operate in more communities throughout the tri-state area to fulfill the extremely high demand for bicycles and sewing machines we have from our friends located around the world. While reaching out to more groups will be key, I also want to strengthen the potential for current groups that already run collections by helping them interact with one another and strengthen the inner P4P community of sponsors. Building a stronger internal network will allow collectors to interact with each other to share valuable insider information on running successful collections.
It finally feels as if we have full potential now with the Pandemic in our rearview mirror. It’s now time to keep the truck moving forward, town to town, picking up as many items as possible. The growth of our domestic sphere will allow us to keep up with our projects overseas. The work we do here has a direct correlation with what we can do with our partners in the developing nations we operate. My fascination with Pedals for Progress has always been this fact. The bike that a donor drops off on a Saturday morning at one of our collections, is the same bike that arrives to a person in need of reliable transportation. This is how we operate; we build a bridge between our donors and someone else thousands of miles away. I am excited to build upon the bridges we have so that we may continue bringing aid to those in need. I encourage you to read more about what we’ve been up to and to join us as we continue our mission of sending use bikes and sewing machines to motivated individuals in the developing world.
Collection Sponsors, 2023
First United Methodist Church Somerville, NJ
Westfield Rotary Club
St. John’s Episcopal Church
Livingston Rotary Club
Vineland Rotary Club
Grace Episcopal Church
Chester Co. Solid Waste Authority
Newtown Rotary Club
Ostego ReUse Center
Women’s Club of Paramus
Piscataway Magnet School
Monmouth Social Club
Rotary Club of the Rockaways
Blair Academy
Colts Neck Reformed Church
Deleware Recreation Commission
Bernardsville United Methodist Church
Warren Hills HS Computer Sci Club
Fair Lawn Rotary Club
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island
Rotary Club of Norristown
Passaic Co. Office of Solid Waste
Clinton Presbyterian Church
Rotary Club of the Palisades
Doylestown United Methodist Church
Faith Lutheran Church
Pedals for Progress
Rotary Club of Branchburg
Memorial United Methodist Church
New Dover United Methodist Church
First United Methodist Church
St. Stephens United Church of Christ
Oneonta, New York, Collection, October 2022
By Martha Clarvoe
Fall 2022 Newsletter
[Editor’s note: In August we got this email on our google business site:
I am hoping to hold a bicycle collection in Oneonta, NY, and to deliver bikes to a collection site for Pedals for Progress. Trying to make contact with P4P organizers. Can you help me?
– Martha Clarvoe
When I saw this mail, I had a couple of thoughts. First, Oneonta is a 3-hour drive from our trailers in Glen Gardner, New Jersey; that is a loooong drive. Second, a P4P/SP collection is a non-trivial exercise in publicity, organization, scheduling, volunteer-wrangling, bike-mechanic skills, weight-lifting, truck-packing (assuming you have a truck!), and freight hauling.
I was very happy to get this generous offer from Martha. But I had some doubts. What I said publicly at the time was, “Thanks, Martha. I will put you in touch with Alan so you can work on the logistics.” What I was thinking privately was, “This woman has no idea what she’s letting herself in for.” I could not have been more wrong.
A great big thank-you to Martha and all the other folks who made the collection so successful. Here’s her story.]
Collection Number 1: 2007
In 2007 David Petri, a local collector and seller of used bikes and bike parts, asked if I could find a home for used bikes he couldn’t sell.
I found Pedals for Progress through my contacts in recycling programs here in Otsego County, New York. I had been active for many years advocating for cycling, and recycling programs, especially with the Otsego County Conservation Association.
We collected bikes and sewing machines in the summer and fall of 2007, then my friend Barbara Harman and I drove them to New Jersey and delivered them to Dave Schweidenback. Here we are in a 15-year-old photo.
Collection Number 2: 2022
In all the years since 2007 I had been getting the P4P newsletter and feeling a little guilty that I hadn’t done another collection but I was busy with other recycling projects and my husband and I were working on a building rehab project. But then David Petri bugged me again about getting rid of used bikes. I had a little trouble finding a contact at P4P, but I eventually got through and was put in touch with Alan, the new president. Alan gave me lots of advice about running a collection: processing the bikes, packing them into the truck using plywood for a second layer, publicity, …
We ran the collection through the Otsego ReUse Center, a program of The Arc Otsego, a non-profit that provides support, services and advocacy to individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Faith Tiemann, who does publicity for Arc Otsego, arranged for a spot on a local TV station, and for publicity on the Arc Otsego facebook page.
After we started publicizing the collection, woman after woman approached me with either a sewing machine or a bicycle and said they were pleased to donate to this wonderful cause.
We scheduled the collection for October 29th, and started the day with 13 bicycles, a bike pump, a bike horn that sounds like Clarabell’s horn, and a very generous check delivered by a couple from Saratoga Springs. David Petri donated 10 bikes and extra seats.
In an amazing coincidence, Lars Schweidenback, the son of P4P founder David Schweidenback, lives just down the road. Lars had helped at bike collections for many years when he was younger, so had invaluable expertise in processing the bikes for shipping. To fit as many bikes as possible into the truck and then into the shipping containers, we had to remove pedals, and turn handlebars down and sideways.
Invention of an Industrial Strength Pedal-Removal System
One of our early arrivals, one of Dave Petri’s bikes, a 70-year-old Schwinn, had a pedal that was really rusty. Despite lots of elbow grease and WD40, by 11:15 Lars had still not been able to remove this pedal.
My 12 year old grandson, Oliver Clarvoe, had recently arrived to help climb into “Mom’s Attic” at the front of the 15-foot U-Haul truck and run a rope around the machines on the shelf and then through sewing machine case handles to secure the machines. Oliver was listening to Bill Ralston, one of the volunteers, and Lars discuss the option of using a pipe to help remove the rusted-on pedal. Ralston went off for a fence-post driver he happened to have in his car(?!?) Oliver disappeared and came back with an 8-foot by 2-inch pipe, which he used to demonstrate some weight-lifting techniques.
The three of them proceeded to slide the fence-post driver over the pedal wrench, then slide the pipe over the crank arm of the other pedal, then apply severe torque with the pipe. The creaking and aching noises of the pedal being released was the sweet sound of success.
Mission Accomplished
We had a steady stream of donations. It was a long day. Our collection was scheduled to run between 9am and 4:30pm, much longer than the customary 3-hour P4P collection. At the end of the day we packed up the truck for the trip to New Jersey the next day, Sunday, October 30th.
I had arranged with Karen Sullivan, former Otsego County Solid Waste and Planning Director, to make the drive with me to New Jersey. A chance for us to catch up and I knew it would make the trip more entertaining. On Sunday morning we met at the truck, scraped the ice off the windshield, and made the 3-hour drive to the P4P containers in Glen Gardner. Alan and Michael met us there, we unloaded the 72 bikes and 29 sewing machines and headed back to Oneonta. Another long day.
Many thanks to the exceptional volunteers who made the collection such a success: Bill Hardy, Shelley Williams, and Ryan Eldred of Otsego ReUse Center; Faith Tiemann of The Arc Otsego, who helped so much with publicity; Lars and Barbara Schweidenback, who brought a wealth of expertise to the table; Oliver Clarvoe, the youngest volunteer; Bill Ralston, who apparently drives around with a fence-post driver in his trunk; and Karen Sullivan, who made the drive with me for the drop-off in New Jersey.
It was obvious to me at the beginning of the collection that I didn’t have enough average volunteers but I did have exceptional volunteers and a supportive community to fill the truck before closing time. Thank you everyone in Otsego County, NY, and surrounding communities for your generosity to Pedals for Progress and Sewing Peace.
Union Special Sewing Machine from the 1930s
By Richard Dutko
Fall 2022 Newsletter
[ Editor’s note: Our bicycle and sewing machine collections can yield hundreds of donated items by a wide range of individuals in the greater tri-state area of New Jersey. Each item we collect has a backstory. During our collections we sometimes get to hear snippets of these stories. I always enjoy these tales as it helps me put into perspective the scope of our mission and injects a more personal connection to the otherwise inanimate objects we send overseas.
The story that follows is from a donor that I was able to speak with via email about a large industrial sewing machine dating back to the 1930s. The history and personal story behind this machine gets me incredibly excited to know that it will be able to develop an even more intricate life after sending it to our partners in Belize.]
I was looking for a place to donate an old Union Special sewing machine, mounted on a thick piece of wood, that was in my father’s basement for about five decades or so. It was heavy; the table measured 48″ wide by 20″ deep by 55″ high at the top of the spool holders. My father passed away at 102 years old and his house was being cleaned out and listed for sale, which was difficult to do. I am definitely a reduce-reuse-recycle type of person and finding homes for a lot of my father’s possessions was a priority of mine.
Family members had the opportunity for keepsakes but much of it was donated to various organizations. Finding a place for the heavy vintage Union Special was more difficult than most. I don’t really use eBay or Freecycle or any of those sites, even though I should learn how to do so. We tried friends, a couple of dry cleaners/clothing repair stores and local charitable organizations without success. So I was thrilled when I found Pedals for Progress on the internet!
I must admit, my own memories of the sewing machine are fading. I recall my father using it several times in his basement, but can’t pinpoint when and what for. I am pretty sure it was for repairs on heavy material such as a leather handbag for my wife or a duffel bag for myself or my children. I believe he made central air conditioning covers for all of us on that sewing machine, those types of things. He was so handy and was affectionately called “Mr. Fix-It” by us all. He would hand-sew all kinds of things for the family, had a regular Singer sewing machine for easier items, and the Union Special for the heavy-duty projects.
He had a standard Singer upstairs for most sewing repairs. That one was given to a friend of a family member. My father was an exceptional handyman, even in his 80s and 90s. I recall him going into the basement to sew something for someone within the past 10 years. In the 1940s and 1950s he was an upholsterer with his brother. I assume this machine came from his brother’s business many years ago.
The photograph is of my father Albert Dutko (left) and his brother Joe, when he helped his brother run an upholstery business. We guess that the photo is from the 1940s or 1950s. My father was the youngest of ten children (he was born in 1919), and helped his brother with the business into the 1960s.
I recall as a youngster helping them take the material out of a chair or sofa being reupholstered. My job would be removing the fabric between the arms or back of the chair and the cushions. This fabric pocket would often have coins and other items that fell into them. My pay for the day were the coins and treasures I found inside the furniture. The Union Special was in my uncle’s workshop where they did all their work. How or when my father got the machine, I do not know. He moved into his ‘new’ house in 1956, and I was born in 1958.
I wish I knew more of its origin. I never asked him where it came from, or if he told me, it was long ago and didn’t register in my memory bank. After his death in July of 2022, we all admired the old machine, but none of us really knew how to sew or use such an antique, nor had the space for it. During my internet research to find out how old it was, I came upon a PDF of a manual that was printed in 1939 for this model 61300C. So that places it in the 1930s era. I am so glad to hear that this wonderful old machine is finding a new home in Belize. We hope that the machine has another few decades of life in it!