By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
SPENCER ó Abandoned bicycles that Spencer police picked up over the past year will have new homes come Christmas morning.
Refurbished and looking as good as new (well, almost), the bikes are going to needy children throughout the community.
“We’re trying to find the children who need them the most,” said Debbie Barnhardt, chairwoman of Hometown Holidays, the Spencer group that’s responsible for a month-long celebration that’s in the process of unfolding.
“We were thrilled with how they turned out,” said Gail Foltz, another Hometown Holidays member.
About 15 bikes have been refurbished and a handful more will likely be completed before Christmas. The bikes are being stored at Santa’s Workshop on Salisbury Avenue in the heart of Spencer’s downtown district.
Foltz said she was contacting guidance counselors at North Rowan Elementary and Middle schools for a list of needy children who might appreciate the bikes.
Barnhardt said the idea was a simple one. Hometown Holidays members were meeting, she said, when someone mentioned the bikes that police officers retrieve throughout the year.
Many are never claimed and sit in storage doing nothing more than taking up space.
Barnhardt said Police Chief Robert Bennett was happy to donate the bikes, and committee members contacted Amy and Zorda Tucker, owners of Windsong Bicycle Shop, to see if they’d be willing to volunteer their time to repair the bikes.
The Tuckers agreed, asking for nothing more than the cost of materials for repairs.
“We’re tuning them up, putting on new tires and tubes,” said Amy Tucker. “Any kind of little things they need, we’re taking care of it.”
Windsong Bicycle Shop is located on South Main Street in Salisbury.
The Tuckers said they spent an average of an hour repairing each bike and making sure it’s roadworthy.
It’s a small price to pay, everyone involved agreed, for the joy the bikes will provide come Christmas morning.