05 22 20 TogetherSF Mask Project with UBCO

TogetherSF May 22, 2020 “UBCO Bikes: Powering Their Purpose to Help Unhoused Member in San Francisco” Fashion School students make masks for underserved members of the community. https://www.togethersf.org/media/ubco-bikes-powering-theirpurpose-to-help-unhoused-members-in-san-francisco

UBCO Bikes: Powering Their Purpose to Help Unhoused Members in San Francisco May 22 By: Kailen Locke

It’s a sunny afternoon in San Francisco when Robin Fiore steps outside of his home for a walk around the block and is greeted by a post-apocalyptic world. Outside, everyone is in a mask, keeping their distance and not interacting with one another.

The streets are almost empty—besides other walkers and bikers.

“It’s a strange world to live in,” Robin said. “To see this in a big city, it shows just how much things have changed.”

Robin is the Director of Sales at the New Zealand based company UBCO Bikes, and without going into the office every day, said he’s missing some of that human contact—something many of us are struggling with during a time of isolation.

Robin knew there was something more he wanted to do to help the city around him that was so clearly in need, but didn’t quite know where to start.

The perfect opportunity arose when his wife, a faculty member at the Academy of Art University, was presented a project neither of them could pass up.

Back in April, when San Francisco announced the mandatory policy of face mask coverings, TogetherSF volunteer Souradeep Sen knew underserved members of the community would have a hard time accessing masks. Realizing the situation at hand, he brainstormed the best strategy to get as many masks made as possible.

Souradeep reached out to the Academy of Art to see if their fashion students could help make masks for those in need of one. Students jumped at the chance to help, and staff members started putting together materials and instructions to get the ball rolling.

“Normally I would be finishing my garments for New York Fashion Week— the realization that it would be canceled was heartbreaking,” MFA Fashion Design student Milijana Delic said. “So when the school reached out to us I knew I had time and a skillset that could be put to good use.”

Everything was set in place for students to receive kits to make hundreds of masks in total, but there were still some missing pieces to the puzzle. How would the materials be distributed to each student? What was the most efficient way for the finished masks to be picked up and delivered to nonprofits around the City?

Enter: Robin Fiore.

“I have a Dodge Sprinter van and a fleet of electric motorcycles at my disposal,” Robin said.

“When my wife told me about this project, I knew it was a way to do something positive for the community.”

UBCO was founded in 2014 and launched their first electric motorcycle in 2017— “Kiwi ingenuity born out of necessity,” Robin said.

Created as a way to keep harmony in rural farming communities where cattle are raised, the electric bikes originally worked towards keeping cows’ stress levels down in the fields The calmer the cows are, the more milk they can produce.

Along with being a tool for the agricultural industry, UBCO’s bikes are used for anything from delivering supplies to remote villages around the world, to delivering pizza to tucked away towns with tight, winding backroads.

“New Zealanders are extremely resilient and really passionate about the environment and how they impact it,” Robin said. “It’s built in our DNA to try and give back.”

UBCO was able to turn their slogan, ‘Power Your Purpose,’ into a reality by donating their time and vehicles to help members of the San Francisco community when they need it most.

On Monday May 11, Robin picked up the first batch of finished masks from students and worked with TogetherSF to deliver them to The Salvation Army, SF Food Pantry, Swords to Plowshares, MSC South and the Veterans Affairs Hospital.

“It feels like it’s getting closer to home and touching more people every day,” Robin said of COVID-19. “There’s a fear of the unknowing, and if wearing a mask, along with helping give out extra masks can make people feel at ease, I’m doing my part to not be part of the problem— to help people feel a little bit more sane in such a crazy time.”

As the school year comes to a close, students will continue to make masks, and Robin will work alongside them to distribute the finished products. Hopefully, this project will continue to grow to make sure displaced members of the community never feel alone.

“We don’t know how bad or how long this journey is going to be,” Robin said. “It’s better to be over prepared in case this gets way worse. We should all be helping out however and whenever we can—and I’m happy to do so.”

Although Robin still has to stay six feet apart from the students, he said being able to interact with them has helped him get some of that human connection back too— even if it’s from a distance.

“It’s very cool seeing students help out and seeing them so excited about making masks,” Robin said. “Even though I can’t fully see their faces, I can see them smiling and that excitement radiating through.”

While the need for masks continues to grow, more volunteers will be needed in order to carry out the project’s mission at a larger scale.

“It’s very important to help in whatever way you can,” Robin said. “It might not be a big deal for someone who has easy access to goods, but for someone who doesn’t, this is a way in which they can feel a little more connected and cared for too.”

If you’re interested in helping TogetherSF produce masks for the City’s unhoused and underserved population, please email us at hello@togethersf.org.