Sacramento Cop Helps Replace Bikes Lost In California Wildfires

GRANITE BAY (CBS13) - Cranking one gear at a time, a local nonprofit bike shop is giving back in a big way and getting help from a Sacramento Police officer.

"We take donated bikes in, we fix them, we get volunteers to come in repair them, and then we give them away," said Jeff Sloane who works at the shop and volunteers his time.

The nonprofit's reach extends to helping the homeless, and particularly this year they were able to help those who lost everything during wildfires across California.

"The bikes that I donated I was told were going to be given to fire victims this year," said Sacramento Police officer Corey Johnson.

Johnson spends his summers with Cops for Kids, and the children need plenty of bikes.

Teamed up with Cycles 4 Hope, the officer can get the bikes he brings in fixed up for kids.

But this year, instead of just collecting what he found lying around, he asked the community to help out, and bikes came in by the dozens.

"For them to refurbish it, it's just something that those guys do out of their hearts, and they want to give back to the community, so every time I can find a bike I try to get it back to them," he said.

Now, knowing where some of them went, means a lot.

"When Cycles 4 Hope told me they were giving some of these bikes back to the fire victims, it's just a great feeling to have those bikes turned into something good for something was going to be thrown away," Johnson said.

It's this type of charity that means more to most than you may know.

"That's who we're really happy to help with them because they lost everything. They've lost their cars, their homes, everything in them, so to be able to give anything to help them and bring some hope back to them that's what we are there for," Sloane said.

As the founder of Cycles 4 Hope would say, "it's providing hope, one bicycle at a time."

Shawn Holiday started the nonprofit 10 years ago and has since spent his time and energy improving the community.

Every second Saturday of the month you can find his team of volunteers on Sacramento's Ahern Street to help homeless, and those in need get their bikes fixed up.

If you'd like to help Cycles 4 Hope's cause:
http://www.cycles4hope.org/donate.html