In Columbia County, a tradition of generosity continues to unfold as Hudson Garbage Service partners with the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Child Welfare and community groups to gift more than 50 children in foster care and children in need with brand new bikes. This initiative, which has been held for the past nine years, aims to bring joy to underprivileged kids during the holiday season.
The bike giveaway begins in late September when Julie Nix, Child Welfare Supervisor for Certification and Adoptions for Columbia County, starts to reach out to collect requests for bikes. "It’s my favorite time of year in my job... We partner with so many incredible agencies for this as well as other gifts needed. Then we make a list. It’s like I’m creating the list for Santa," Nix told ODHS in a statement.
Coordinating the project for Hudson are Shannon Simonson, Customer Service Representative, and Malinda Jones, Lead Scale Tech. They have effectively managed to successfully assemble the required bikes, helmets, and locks needed for the giveaway. Jones recalled her emotional response during the first delivery, saying, "I cried like a baby." Simonson's personal connection to the community impels her by recalling her own experience with receiving a bike as a child. "Giving back to my community is what keeps our town more closely knit," she shared in an interview with ODHS.
Hudson Garbage doesn't just provide the bikes; the company creates a community effort to assemble them. "Anybody who wants to help is welcome," said Simonson. Local business owners, bike builders, and even the town mayor join in the effort. Monetary donations, which this year amount to $17,378.02, also help fuel the initiative. The charitable spirit of the initiative is clearly embodied when a Hudson employee encountered a grateful guardian shopping at Walmart. "She told me the bikes the children got from us that year were the only presents they got for Christmas. I cried right there in Walmart," Jones told ODHS.
The impact of the bike donations is palpable, as a Child Welfare Case Worker related a heartfelt story of a mother's gratitude. "She said that she was so embarrassed at how few presents she had under the tree and had been wondering how she was going to explain to her children that Santa visited the other kids in their class but not them," the worker recounted in a story obtained by ODHS. The simple act of providing a bike can surely make a significant difference in the lives of these children, offering them a moment of joy and a feeling of inclusion during the festive season.
