An Ode to Pizza Hut & A New Era of Volunteering at BBP!
In my wildest dreams I never would have imagined that Pizza Hut (or at least a former Pizza Hut) would be what saved us from the pandemic! At the same time, I can’t think of a more “on-brand” BBP strategy than transforming an abandoned Pizza Hut/Bikezza Hut into a fully functional mechanic workspace in order keep our volunteers involved and our impact rolling during the biggest crisis we’ve ever faced. But it’s true. For the last two years, dozens of masked and socially-distanced volunteers have fixed 1000s of bikes in an old Pizza Hut down the street from BBP. I wouldn’t say it was the most dazzling space in the world. There were 10-year old croutons still sitting in the shell of the old salad bar and a thin layer of pizza grease on most of the walls, but I would say that what took place inside the red roofed building was truly beautiful.
While some bikes that will eventually be sent to Africa remain in the old dining area, we’ve just about closed the book on Pizza Hut’s role in our journey. Last week the tools were gathered up, the benches were taken down, and everything left was moved into piles to keep, donate, or throw away. While there’s a certain sadness in seeing the magic disappear bit by bit, there’s also tremendous excitement about bringing volunteers back into the main shop. In someways it’s a step back to something both normal and special that the pandemic tried to take away. In new and exciting ways, because of the new warehouse space, it’s also a step into a beautiful new era of volunteering at BBP.
Some omicron curve balls and supply chain issues have slowed the big move back into the shop and put some of our regular volunteer opportunities on hold. But over the last several weeks, our Thursday night volunteers have been working hard to get the new warehouse and mechanic area ready for operation.
We’re getting close! So close that we’re bringing a few new warehouse shifts online this Friday. So close that on March 31st at 6pm, we’ll be hosting a Volunteer Activation Meeting in lieu of our regularly scheduled Volunteer Night.
Our goal for the meeting is to get our regular volunteers and new volunteers together in one room to talk about the plethora of volunteer opportunities coming soon. And, if all goes to plan, at this same meeting we hope to introduce you to a new full time Volunteer Manager, a position we’ve been without for nearly two years and a position we’re interviewing for at this very moment.
This Volunteer Activation Meeting should be in-person. We should be able to shake hands and give hugs, and we should be able to take off our masks (following CDC guidelines, masks are now optional at BBP). It will be the first time some of us have seen each other without masks. Of course, this pandemic has taught us that things can change quickly (and we’ll be watching things closely) but all signs point to being able to host our first in-person Volunteer Meeting in 2 years.
It wouldn’t be right to mention the Pizza Hut Era of BBP without mentioning Maureen Flaherty, our former and first Programs Director, who saw the true potential of the abandoned space and led the way in its transformation and volunteer activation. Under her leadership, an all-star group of volunteers have made it possible to put record numbers of bikes into the hands of Treasure Valley children without missing a beat. How could she have seen so much possibility in a place with no heat, no AC, no running water, and not resemblance of a bike shop? Well, she’d done it once before when BBP moved into the old Boise Rescue Mission in 2008. History repeats itself!
As Maureen leaves BBP for an incredible opportunity, Devin McComas will take over as our new Programs Director. I have no doubt he will take all he’s learned from Mo and advance BBP’s programs to new heights, soon with the help of a new Volunteer Manager and a new Lead Educator (still accepting applications for Lead Educator)!
2008. Cleaning up the old Boise Rescue Mission, before transforming it into our first volunteer workspace. Maureen on the far left. Me in the DC skate shirt. Original Board Member Jarrod Thompson third from the right. Cofounder Brian Anderson on the far left. The bicycle, one of our original donations, is mounted in the office upstairs at BBP.