Ride, Rescue, Repeat: Helping Cats and Bikes in Baton Rouge

What’s the most worthless thing you’ve spent money on recently? You know, that real piece of junk you asked yourself almost immediately, “Why did I buy this?” Keep that thought in your mind, because I’m going to give you some ways you can spend your money that will actually do great things for your community.

First up, let’s talk about cats.

Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR)

On Monday, September 9, our ride made a stop at the Companion Animal Alliance, located near the levee on the outskirts of LSU’s campus. This facility is the official shelter for East Baton Rouge Parish, as EBR Animal Control now only responds to complaints and traps but no longer houses any animals.

This year, I learned about the feral cat Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program. The program offers free spay/neutering and vaccinations for any feral cat. So far, I’ve brought six cats to the shelter and have seen firsthand how hard these volunteers work and how much of their own money they contribute to keep the program running.

READ THE FULL STORY about the feral cat program

While CAA provides funding for the procedures, the other costs associated with trapping these cats are absorbed by the volunteers. Although they operate under the nonprofit organization Rescue Me Animal Welfare, most of the expenses come out of pocket for the volunteer trappers.

After seeing what they do, I wanted to know how we could help ease their burden. Here’s what they need the most:

• Live traps: These traps are not very expensive, but when you need dozens to trap an entire colony of cats, the costs add up. The faster you can trap them all, the better the chances of preventing the colony from spreading. If you'd like to purchase ONE OF THESE TRAPS, please send it to:

  Rescue Me Animal Welfare
  4134 Poydras Bayou
  Port Allen, LA 70767

• Newspapers and old towels: Bring these to any Downtown East Social Ride, and I’ll make sure they get to the shelter. The towels cover the cages to help keep the cats calm, and the newspaper lines the cages as the cats typically urinate after the procedure.

• Cat food: Any type of cat food is appreciated since all the traps have to be baited. Some cats prefer dry food, others wet, so volunteers keep a mix on hand to ensure success. You can bring it to the ride or mail it to the same address as the traps. Consider setting up a recurring delivery with your preferred retailer to provide ongoing support.

Additionally, if you don’t have money but have some time, they need people to help trap cats. It’s super easy—you just need patience.

Bike Bash to Benefit Front Yard Bikes

Front Yard Bikes is a nonprofit organization doing fabulous work in our community, especially in Mid City, Old South Baton Rouge, and Downtown East. They give youth the opportunity to develop practical skills by learning to build and repair bicycles, offering a positive outlet for their energy while fostering a strong sense of community through group rides and local projects.

Learn more about Front Yard Bikes

They’re also the only bike shop in Mid City, providing used bikes at great prices. This adds an environmental benefit you won’t find at most for-profit businesses.

Of course, all this comes with a price, so they hold fundraisers. The next one is on Sunday, September 29, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“The event will bring together families and community leaders to share their love of bike rides while raising money to help Front Yard Bikes in its mission to help youth in our community develop healthy, fulfilling, and productive lives.”

Tickets are $40 and include participation in a bike parade, food, and fun!

The Store is Finally Open!

The last way you can make an impact is by purchasing something from the new Downtown East Social Ride store—yes, it’s finally open!

You can now get an official shirt with the ride logo or the signature motto, “Shift your gears and lift your rears.” You can also start your day with a cup of joe and that motto on either an insulated mug or a classic ceramic one if you drink your coffee quickly.

And, of course, another way to support the ride is by becoming a subscribing member of this newsletter.

Along with the store, the new site features upgraded versions of all the stories I’ve written over the years and they’re being ingested into a custom GPT bot so you can ask questions about our history or bikes and get the benefit of all the knowledge we’ve gathered. There’s also a photo gallery with every group photo we’ve ever taken, so you can look back and download the ones you were part of.

If all of that sounds very time consuming, then you’re 100% correct, which is why you’re support means so much.