Originally Posted by
MyBikeGotStolen
The guy I bought my first (and second and third) bike from actually fixed up bikes to donate to people just out of rehab and such. He got bikes donated to him and he sold the better ones off to get the parts and whatever to fix up the non-name brand bikes and he donated them to people just out of programs.
The homeless guy I mentioned in my post does the same thing. He goes to the library, posts good bikes on craigslist, and takes the money he makes, gets food to survive, and spends the rest on bike tools and parts to fix up other bikes. Some are ones he's fixing to sell. Others are those he's fixing for people. He wants to start a real shop. Right now, he has an old truck trailer that he rents to store his bikes, parts, and tools in. He's just about the friendliest guy I've ever met.
I even blogged about him.
Sure, a lot of times he trades labor for goods, or trades people straight up their newer, broken bike for an older one that he restored. He's got to make a living somehow. But all in all, he's ridiculously generous.
Before he became homeless/jobless, he worked for a local non-profit bike collective type place with grant funding and the whole nine yards, doing much like what you mentioned.