What is TreesByBike.com?
TreesByBike.com is a small collective of Portland folks who are looking to spread some holiday cheer, make a little extra money, and raise some cash for things we care about. All of our trees are locally grown and 10% of your order total is donated to specific charities, foundations, and groups depending on who delivers your tree. We let our Riders of Yule decide where the money they work for goes. To find the charity, foundation, or organizations that each rider donates to, please check the “Riders” page.
The story of TreesByBike.com starts on a frigid Portland morning, over one year ago. Full of turkey, cranberry sauce, and various libations, the Yule Dispatcher was prompted with the most curious desire. A desire for a needle-ridden mess that many call a XMAS tree. The Yule Dispatcher remembered the childhood home he grew up in, adorned with cheap mistletoe and dollar store garland. He recalled the coos of joy and laughter in front of a meagerly sized tree, strung with plastic and popcorn. And with a belly full our Yule Dispatcher set his mind to erecting a XMAS tree in the living room of his shared house, much like his parents had done in his childhood home so many years ago. After earning the approval to host a tree from his housemates, the Yule Dispatcher approached his next hurdle, transport. With no car to speak of and serious doubts about the allowance of a 5′ Xmas tree on TriMet, he was left only one option. His bicycle and his trusty Lemolo backpack. It was an interesting ride, with many honks full of holiday cheer, but it was more than just a tree that our Dispatcher achieved. He made a stunning realization, which he then relayed in joyful prose:
“Holiday cheer need no automotive support,
why not is it spread with wheels and legs and just heart?
Internal combustion, need not apply,
for next XMAS we’re riding bikes with trees stacked ridiculously high.”“For the sake of all goodness, we must do this well.
Mount up on your bikes and deliver like hell:
Now, Riders! Now, Racers! Now, Couriers, and Gophers!
On, Commuters! On, Street kids! On, Hipsters and Bro-dogs!”“To the valleys and gorges! To the top of the hills!
Now ride away! ride away! Coffee helps, for reals!”
And that’s how Abraham Lincoln saved the world. Oh wait, I mean that’s how TreesByBike.com was started.
