By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
There they were. On the corner of 16th and Madison. In the rain. All in line. Waiting for their – gulp – bicycles. And they do this on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.
It’s Pickett’s Corner.
Oh, if you’re looking for a street sign – there’s none. The Parish Kitchen is on the actual corner. But to the people waiting in line, it’s Pickett’s Corner.
Make that Alan Pickett’s Corner.
The 69-year-old recently retired Pickett, is – you guessed it –a bike enthusiast. “I’ve been riding all my life,” the Cold Spring resident told the Northern Kentucky Tribune on this rainy morning.
“In fact,” he added, “ in 2023 I biked across the state of Iowa in the Rag Brai Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. I’m doing it again this summer.”
But until then, twice each month he – and several volunteers – give away bicycles to those in need of transportation.
“I worked as the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Covington from 2014-23,” he said. “We started a new ministry – Pickett’s Corner – in ’23.”
The ministry repairs and distributes bicycles to those in need in the area. Most people who receive a bike, he says, will use it for transportation to work, the store, or doctor appointments.
“When we started the ministry,” Pickett said, “we were repairing bikes. Then we started giving them away. We knew people needed transportation from the Parish Kitchen. They walk here.”
Pickett says people really need three things: Food, Shelter and Transportation – and the Kitchen gives them a hearty two.
“We focus on adult bikes for people who need transportation,” he said. “The first two months of 2025 we gave away 700 bikes. We’re closed in the winter, so that total is March and April.”
Pickett’s Corner bicycle repair clinic and distribution is offered March through November on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 1561 Madison Avenue, Covington, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Amazingly to us,” Pickett said, “The line of people requesting bikes has never ended. To operate in 2025, we will need a steady stream of gently used bikes that we can repair. We also need funds to give our friends a lock on each bike.”
So how does Pickett’s Corner get these bikes?
“We have our notice in Church Bulletins as well as most of the area cCatholic High Schools,” he said. “We have about 25 volunteers who fix about five-to-six bikes-a-week.”
One of those waiting patiently in line for a bike was Kamal Nicely, a 22-year-old dad who lives in Cincinnati.
“My dad worked at Talbert House, and knew about the Parish Kitchen and the bikes,” her told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “I will use the bike for transportation for work to get around more fluidly.”
For now, Nicely is looking for work — he is currently on Worker’s Compensation, from a lower lumbar injury he suffered at his logistics place of work.
“I’m looking at the Ohio Jobs Core,” he said.
The process is quite easy —and amazingly quick.
“We check for a valid ID, and then have the individual sign a waiver;” said Greg George, one of the volunteers for Pickett’s Corner.
“During the interview process, we’ll check to see if the person knows the resources in and around Covington. And, we’ll get the right fit of bike for him or her.”
It’s one bike per family – and adults 18 and over.
And if you’re a basketball, fan, you can chat with Nancy Winstel, the former NKU women’s coach while you’re waiting for your bike.
Yes, she’s a bike rider – and a Pickett’s Corner volunteer.