Alameda County Sheriff's Department Spearheads Holiday Bicycle Drive For Camp Fire Kids
ALAMEDA COUNTY (KPIX 5) -- With Christmas just around the corner, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department has organized a special delivery for the families and children of Paradise who no longer have homes.
The program is called Bikes for Butte.
Sheriff's deputies and others have volunteered their time, collecting and assembling bikes to give to children who lost everything in the Camp Fire. The department is donating space and lending four trailers to the project to transport the bikes.
"Our main goal, at the beginning, was to get about 100 bikes. That quickly blossomed, so now we are at 400 bicycles," said Alameda County Sheriffs Sgt. Ray Kelly. "We had to cut it off, because it became too cumbersome."
These are all brand new bikes, some still in boxes. When organizers realized the department's four trailers were not going to be enough to move all the bikes, they reached out to Rescue Towing Service.
That company is lending a giant 52-foot long trailer to the cause. Rescue Towing Service owner Jeff Bodway said he was delighted to get the call.
"Everybody lost everything, so to be able to give Christmas to the kids is a good thing," said Bodway.
In addition to bicycles, the project has collected helmets, balls and lots of other toys, all donated by local retailers.
"It's been very moving to be a part of this. In our job, you know, we do a lot. We're exposed to a lot. We see and we give a lot. So to be able to give back in this way is very special," said Kelly
The caravan of five trailers is leaving Friday morning, heading to Chico to make this Christmas a little brighter for the children of Paradise.