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At the end of the month, several kids in the inner city will receive something they have never gotten before.
Bikes and Barbecue is happening on September 28 at 12 p.m. at the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre (MERC).
The event is being put on by Kristy Muckosky from Spence neighbourhood and the Maplecrest Vineyard Church family. Muckosky says, "We're hosting a bike drive and we're going to be giving away hopefully between 40 and 50 bikes to children ages six to 12 in the West End. These are children who have never owned their own bikes."
Muckosky says, "The event came to be after a boy saved up for a long time to buy a bike but then his mom had to use the money for groceries. I'm so excited to be giving bikes to children who have never been able to afford or it's never been a priority and to see the joy that these bicycles bring the children."
While they have started to receive some bikes, they are still looking for more. "We put the call out a few days ago and are receiving bikes, and I think we're up to eight or ten. I know people have bikes in their garages and this is a great way to get rid of them. If someone doesn't have a bike to donate but wants to give a monetary donation, that would be great too, we'll put that to buy a brand-new bike."
Muckosky says that they are in need of bikes, specifically for younger children. "We have between 30 to 40 children in our program and they're all different sizes, the bikes that we have received so far have been on the bigger side so I would say if anyone has a smaller bike, we'll take any bike, but really, I'm hoping to get some smaller ones too."
Anyone with a bike to donate can contact Spence Neighbourhood Association. Muckosky says, "We can pick up the bikes or people can also drop them off at 430 Langside Street. It's best to call before so we can be adequately staffed to receive the bike but we can also do pickup which I know is a lot easier for people."
