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In Hastings-on-Hudson, New York is the New York Milk Bank that accepts donations of breast milk from mothers who produce more than their own children need and donates it to mothers in need. All donations are screened and the milk is pasteurized before it’s distributed to local hospitals.
One issue the nonprofit bank has run into time and time again, however, is the question of delivery. Breast milk has to be donated quickly and efficiently, but New York traffic isn’t at all conducive to this process.
That’s when Julie Bouchet-Horwitz turned to a completely unexpected group for support: Sirens Women’s MC of NYC, an all-female, lesbian biker club.
The Sirens Women’s Motorcycle Club was founded in 1986 for women who rode motorcycles, but were excluded from men’s-only clubs because of their gender. The only way they could enter the men’s space was by being the “property of” one of the male members.
Instead of seeing this as a deterrent, Cheryl Stewart saw this as an opportunity to create a women’s only motorcycle club. The club is now 50 women strong, consisting of members who are all incredibly proud to be supporting the New York Milk Bank – and thrilled that they can inspire young girls who they pass on their delivery routes to be as “badass” as them.
"We're uniquely positioned to do the job," said club founding member Cheryl Stewart. "We're on our nimble bikes that can get there faster."
"Boy, these are badass women,” Bouchet-Horwitz laughed. “It just seemed like such a great idea to be able to employ their services to help us.”
You can watch a featurette of the club and their partnership with the milk bank here:
