Bicycle Man operation gearing up early for holiday distribution
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Christmas is more than five months way, but for one Cumberland County group, the work starts now.
The Bicycle Man operation is hard at work fixing up used bikes to give away around the holidays.
Quietly nestled down Wyndfare Drive sits a warehouse where Bicycle Man and his wife have kept a tradition going for years.
It's not quite Christmas yet, but Ann Mathis says elves there at the holding garage are getting ready.
" By the time December gets here this whole place will be full of bikes," Ann Mathis said.
Over the years, Mathis and her late husband Moses have distributed 34,000 new and used bikes, thanks to community partners and folks like you at home with big hearts.
"Some people call me the bicycle lady. I tell them thank you but I will not forget my husband. He will always be the bicycle man," said Mathis. "People donate new bikes as well that we don't have to do a lot too."
Mathis kept the operation going even after her husband passed away.
"As you can see we got a lot of bikes in here right now to be repaired. So hopefully this summer we can get some kids to come down and help"
She told ABC11 that the stress of it all is well worth it once the holidays roll around.
Her favorite part is gifting smiling faces with bikes they can call their own.
The goal for this fundraising event is $20,000.00. To donate bicycles, parts or materials, please contact the Bicycle/Computer Repair Site located at: 1800 Wynfare Drive Fayetteville, NC 28306.
"It's amazing you know? Believe me, I thank everybody that's really supported me throughout the years because this is not easy but I try my best," said Mathis.
