Come volunteer with us

If you are interested in working hard for no money in cramped quarters then you may have what it takes to be a Bicycle Kitchen volunteer, or a “Cook”.

OK, maybe that’s not the best pitch… let’s try this again. The Bicycle Kitchen is operated 100% by volunteers. We could be at home watching American Idol, or at a tanning salon but instead we choose to spend our time hanging out working on bikes.

Teaching people to work on bikes, or “wrenching”, is not the only way to help. There are other administrative type things to do. We could always use a hand and are always looking for suggestions. You can do as much or as little as you like. If you think you have a special skill that could be beneficial to us please drop us a line.

[Shadow Orientations: As a part of our “Cook-In-Training” process we ask you to attend an orientation. Check our calendar or ask us when the next one is!]

Questions? Contact: volunteer@bicyclekitchen.com

YOU CAN DO ALL OF THE ABOVE, BUT IT’S BEST TO COME WHEN WE’RE OPEN, AND TALK TO A COOK.

Frequently Asked Questions about volunteering:

“I don’t know much about working on bikes, can I still volunteer?”:  Yes! You can learn on the job. If you want to learn we will show you some pointers and your first few shifts will be “shadow sessions”. A shadow session is a fully scheduled shift with the addition of a Cook in training. You and a full fledged Cook will work with clients together until it is determined that you have a basic understanding of wrenching and are able to handle a normal shift.

“I’d like to volunteer but my schedule is always changing. I don’t know if I can make a commitment.”: Cooks are asked to work 1-2 shifts a week. Each shift is 3 hours long. We do our best to make our shifts, however we also have crazy schedules and different jobs and relatives who are in town etc. We will never condemn you for “not doing enough”. If you can work fine, if you need a month off, a week off, half a year off, fine. Just let us know when you can help and we and the people of L.A. will be grateful for it.

“Is working at the Kitchen fun.”: @#!%* yes! We play great music, meet great people and learn stuff about bikes ourselves. It’s a small way to feel like you’re actually doing something good for somebody. It’s surprisingly gratifying to help a guy or gal put a groovy bicycle together.