Our Mission
The Anthracite Bicycle Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization whose purpose is to serve as a community resource for cycling safety, accessibility, and education. We believe in the transformative power of cycling in regards to health and fitness, as a means to transportation independence, and as an opportunity for education and community, especially among youth. We recognize several key barriers of access in cycling including income, social group, race, and gender, and actively work to make cycling more accessible to all via our community bike shop (the Cycle Kitchen) and social programs. We acknowledge climate change and the need for greater reuse and recycling, and we work to combat it via our bicycle recycling programs, tool library, and DIY education that centers sustainability. We appreciate the natural beauty and potential of our surrounding area in northeastern PA and strive to make access to it via cycling safer and more prominent.
Our History
The Anthracite Bicycle Coalition was founded in 2012 as a support network of volunteers for events like the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority’s Explorer Bike Tour. As the organization grew so did the scope of it’s work, and over the years we began hosting our own rides, the most popular of which is our yearly Cranksgiving in which dozens of cyclists ride through the city of Scranton collecting non-perishable foods which are donated to local food banks during the Thanksgiving season.
In 2020, our President Gene McDonough visited his first bicycle cooperative in Tempe Arizona and immediately knew he had found the means to connect ABC’s cycling advocacy, accessibility, youth empowerment, recycling, and sustainability with the greater NEPA community. In 2022, the City of Scranton graciously provided us use of a building in Connell Park, allowing our community bike work to leave our own volunteer’s garages. With hundreds of volunteer hours from ABC volunteers and the local South Scranton community, NEPA’s first bicycle cooperative, the Cycle Kitchen, was officially born.
In 2025, ABC hired former advisory board member Kuba Jennes as our first executive director, signaling a renewed dedication to expanding ABC’s work in local advocacy and social engagement, along with a commitment to expand ABC’s historic work.