TEMPLE, Texas — Temple Christian Outreach in Temple, Texas is in desperate need of bike donations to help the unhoused in the community. Their goal is to make it easier for people in their program to get to work in the heat.
But it hasn't always been the easiest ride for DFW veteran Michael Bursey.
"I was homeless, and I had a relapse," Bursey said.
Thanks to Temple Christian Outreach, Bursey's life shifted in a new direction.
"This came to be my main place to be because of Caitlin and the whole crew here," Bursey added. "I didn't have a car, and so she gave me a bike, and so I rode my bike to work for a couple of years until I got a vehicle."
Temple Christian Outreach is making an impact, connecting the unhoused with hand-me-down bikes, an everyday necessity for people like David McPherson.
"It makes you feel trapped when you don't have any kind of transportation," McPherson said. "Now that I've got the bike, it makes my life so much easier, and it'll make theirs too."
The program is specifically looking for used bikes to help their unhoused clients get off their feet and commute back and forth from their jobs.
Temple Christian Outreach has partnered with the City for a grant to help people without a home make money.
Once people achieve their goals and feel fit to go out into the community, Temple Christian Outreach helps them with making a resume, getting an ID and providing them with transportation to work.
The organization currently has two bikes but needs 15 more.
Executive Director of Temple Christian Outreach, Caitlin West, says the group will take a bike even if it needs to be repaired. She says every donation, large or small, is appreciated.
"It comes with the community as well helping us out, and all together we can do more," West said. "Getting on a better track and having goals and then getting out of this organization with a bike and going further in the life and making money really helps them go far."
Apart from the bike donations, West says the organization is always looking for volunteers to help out and counsel those in need.
If you are interested in volunteer work, you can do so Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The organization is located off 106 West Avenue D in Temple.
More information on Temple Christian Outreach can be found here.
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