The brigade of volunteers delivering hope by bike | Canada Voices

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, agencies like the Fort York Food Bank (FYFB) in Toronto found themselves overwhelmed and in a quandary. They had no way to distribute food to vulnerable clients who were homebound and isolating. When they connected with the Bike Brigade, it was a timely and desperately needed lifeline.

Four years later, as rising living costs continue to impact communities, this challenge remains all too relevant. For many, accessing basic essentials has only become harder, making volunteer-driven initiatives like the Bike Brigade crucial lifelines.

“They’re absolutely incredible,” said executive director Julie LeJeune. With a total staff of three leading 300 volunteers, FYFB does not have the capacity to do deliveries, she explained. “They do biking well, we do food well. So it’s a perfect marriage.”

How a grassroots movement became a lifeline

The Bike Brigade is a grassroots volunteer collective that came together in the early days of the pandemic. The idea germinated when David Shellnutt, also known as ‘The Biking Lawyer’, saw his own mother staying home due to pandemic health concerns and realized there were likely many others across the city who were homebound and struggling to get essential supplies, according to board member Cecily Lo.

Shellnutt put out a call on social media to the city’s cycling community and about a dozen cyclists responded, including Lo.

“We could be really good at this last mile delivery part, because last mile deliveries are often the most difficult piece of getting food around,” said Lo, who handles logistics and policy for the group.

They organized themselves on Google spreadsheets, connected with food banks and other organizations who could use their logistical support. Once they put out the information, hundreds began signing up to help. More than four years later, over 2,000 cyclists have signed up, about 860 have done at least one delivery, and about 70 riders hit the road at least once a month, making food and non-food deliveries, according to Lo. They are most active in the city’s core but would love to see volunteer support expand into other parts of the city.

The need for some kind of delivery service has always existed, Lo and LeJeune said, but it went unrecognized until the pandemic exacerbated the problem and crystallized the difficulties some residents faced.

A gift for volunteers too

Recipients have been grateful for the service—one client emails LeJeune every week after a delivery to say ‘thank you,’ others send texts or leave little notes of appreciation on their doors. LeJeune says these deliveries – the Bike Brigade does about 50 a week for FYFB—also serve as a wellness check. Volunteers have found clients who have fallen, isolated seniors who welcome the opportunity for social interaction.

But the Bike Brigade has also given special meaning to longtime volunteers like Leslie Solomonian, a lifelong cyclist who found the idea of applying something she loved to help the community in an environmentally sustainable way appealing. The group’s advocacy work and mission also resonated deeply. She began volunteering with a trailer filled with food hampers in tow, cycling over great distances across the city to make deliveries.

Then, she was hit by a truck during a bike commute to work about two years ago. Recovery was challenging and the trauma left her depressed.

“The Bike Brigade actually has been a real gift,” she said. She can no longer bike long distances, but signing up for a delivery and knowing that someone is depending on her has been helpful for her own well-being too.

Bridging the gap between sustainability and service

In a time when so many are struggling with mental health challenges due to economic strain and uncertainty, knowing that she’s making a difference has been a powerful antidote to isolation and anxiety. “It’s something that, similar to the start of the pandemic, allows me to feel purposeful, allows me to feel like there’s something I can do in this world.”

As cities debate sustainable transit solutions and climate-friendly infrastructure, the Bike Brigade’s work has become a powerful example of how bikes can serve communities. With recent conversations around removing bike lanes in Toronto, Solomonian points out how critical bicycles are—not only for reducing emissions but also for connecting residents to essential services.

“It’s really nice to be part of a community that feels that way … and to do so in a way that benefits the people in our society that are often marginalized,” she said.

Brigade volunteers and their partners acknowledge this is a band-aid solution to the larger problem of food insecurity, but unlike food banks, LeJeune believes this volunteer service will always have a place in the community.

“It’s neighbours taking care of neighbours,” she said. “It’s just a beautiful organization that is meaningful and really helps the city out.”