DENVER — A Denver man who was facing hardships after losing his main mode of transportation is getting back on his feet thanks to the community's help.
Andrew Bayer purchased an e-bike in June after receiving a voucher from Denver's e-bike rebate program.
He used it to get to and from his jobs everyday. But it was all short-lived, the e-bike was stolen two months later outside a Walgreens while Bayer was out working for Uber Eats.
"I wouldn't have been able to afford a bike like that without that," said Bayer. "I didn’t realize how much help doing the deliveries was until I lost the bike, this past month I almost got evicted. I had to pawn a bunch of my stuff."
Denver7 first shared Bayer's struggles with you in October. The community stepped up to help raise around $1,000 to go towards purchasing a new e-bike.
Ebikes USA owner, Houshmand Moarefi, volunteered to cover the rest of the cost.
"We generally want to help as many people as possible. When I heard Andrew was using the bike to deliver food and this was his livelihood, that hit home," said Moarefi. "When I found out Channel 7 had done a fundraiser and people were contributing, we wanted to do our part."
Moarefi said e-bikes are becoming more popular and that makes them a big target for thieves. He's encouraging everyone to take the necessary precautions to protect them.
"Be aware of where you’re leaving it, where you're locking it; I always say two locks is better than one. Insuring it and tagging it, those are ways you can protect your investment," he said.
Bayer expressed how thankful he was for everyone who came together to help him in his time of need.
"Without any help I wouldn’t have been able to do this and get back on my feet and I'd be in a lot worse position," said Bayer.
Denver is relaunching the rebate program next year. In October, the city had to put it on hold after running out of money due to the program's popularity.
Moarefi said his business had been part of the Denver Rebate Program.
"I understand they've closed it until early 2023. One of the things we did was, once we realized in November and December there are no more additional rebates, we brought in a large inventory to help as many people as possible," said Moarefi. "We have kicked off our Thanksgiving sale and holiday sale. We've put all of our bikes on sale this time of year."
The program put more than 4,400 e-bikes on the streets of Denver since it started in April. It offers between $400 and $1,700 off an e-bike depending on a person's income level and the type of e-bike.
Click here to go directly to the Denver7 Gives donation form then choose a campaign
Denver7 features the stories of people who need help and now you can help them with a cash donation through Denver7 Gives. One hundred percent of contributions to the fund will be used to help people in our local community. Want more stories of hope and ways to help in your inbox? Sign up to get the weekly Denver7 Gives Email Newsletter 💌