It’s strange that while many things have slowed down or paused during these virus-impacted times, there seems to be more news than ever coming toward us. Even as owner of a niche transportation media outlet, I’m working overtime to keep up with everything.
In an effort keep you informed and entertained in your at-home existence, here’s a roundup of coronavirus-related news tidbits and other fun things I’ve collected in the past few days.
Free Hot Soup needs bicycle delivery volunteers
Free Hot Soup is an all-volunteer, grassroots community group that feeds hungry people. Since they’ve been barred from distributing meals at all but one local park, the group has made their operation mobile. We heard from an FHS volunteer that this means they need a lot more people to make deliveries — especially folks with bikes that have cargo capacity. Here’s the message:
Free Hot Soup needs more volunteers. We’re looking for bikers with trailers, who can team up to deliver along the I-205 corridor. We will have vehicles to transport meals to trailheads, to be taken from there to camps along the trail by bike.
We’ve had to curtail our direct service at a downtown park, so we’re shifting to a mobile soup kitchen model. We will be drafting a bicycle brigade to deliver to camps. We need ingredients, cooks, and volunteers who are not (like many volunteers) vulnerable to Covid-19.
If you want to help, get in touch with Janice Leber at web@choppedliverproductions.com or plug into their Facebook page.
Free and fun media for you
Content creators of all stripes are at their best right now as many of you have more time than usual to kill. Here are some excellent goodies for your reading and watching pleasure…
— Portland-made quarterly magazine Broken & Coastal has made their first four volumes free for your viewing pleasure. Immerse yourself in beautiful photography and insightful stories from some of the most creative and talented people around. Download the issues here. (Before you do, learn more about Broken & Coastal publisher Christopher San Agustin’s work on our local trails in this Singletracks.com interview.)
— Cargo bike documentary Motherload is full of fun Portland connections and is now streaming for free.
— Tern Bicycles, makers of the ever-popular GSD cargo bike, has a fun activity book available to print for free.
— Filmed by Bike not only has released some of their best films for viewing during lockdown, they’ve just launched a new game where you can earn points for helping promote their digital Global Film Festival coming April 4th.
— Portland Design Works wants to brighten your day with cool free stickers and patches. Just share your address on their website and wait by your mail box.
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Ride With GPS offers route “Collections”
The best route finding and planning tool on the planet has a new cool thing. Ride With GPS has a new “Collections” feature where you can organize your routes into different categories. Put all your fave local urban routes into one collection, your epic weekend rides into another. You can also share collections with others. Check it out at RideWithGPS.com.
Shop online to support the CCC
The Community Cycling Center is so much more than a bike shop on NE Alberta Street. This nonprofit is a part of Portland’s cycling legacy that must remain strong and vibrant no matter what crisis faces us. They’ve been scrambling to fill an expected $75,000 funding hole due to the closure of the shop. Now they’ve launched an e-commerce store where you can find all types of CCC-approved products. Each purchase helps the CCC survive!
Discounts on Chrome gear
Portland-based Chrome industries has a cool new “Give 20/Get 20” program where you can choose to either save 20% or donate 20% of your online order to help service workers. And if you’re a newly minted professional courier (meaning you deliver things for money), Chrome has expanded their pro deal purchase program to all delivery workers — whether you do so on foot, by bike, or by car. If you qualify (apply here), you can get 40% off all gear through the end of 2020.
OK that’s it for now. If you have virus-related local news or other useful tidbits to share with our community, please get in touch. BikePortland is ready and willing to spread the word!
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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