Jerry Hunnicutt stands in a workshop going through bike after bike to make sure they're all ready to ride.
Hunnicutt, of Bella Vista, works with Pedal it Forward, a local bike-focused charity that's about to enter its third year, though the scramble to be ready for Christmas isn't leaving a lot of time to celebrate.
Hunnicutt said he's retired and this group gives him something to do with his time. Working with the other volunteers, he said, is always a good time and it keeps him moving.
He rides paved trails in the area, he explained. And, while he knew some of the basics of bike maintenance, he's learned a lot about caring for a bike since he started working with the organization.
He said he's fond of the cause: providing bikes to people in need.
"They can't afford anything and then they get something," Hunnicutt said. "It makes you feel good."
David Tovey, co-founder of Pedal it Forward, said the bike shop has expanded since it first opened sometime around Thanksgiving in 2014, and its volunteer base has improved -- up to eight or nine consistent volunteers, compared to three or four when the operation first got started.
"We're certainly always looking for volunteers," he added. "It's a very busy time."
At this point, he said, the big rush is to get Christmas deliveries ready. Pedal it Forward takes orders from some schools and other groups -- like VA hospitals -- who can identify people in need of a bike. Right now, he said, he's looking at roughly 100 bikes that will need to be delivered in December.
"We certainly have the need for it," he said.
Anyone interested in learning more, he said, can email the group at [email protected].
One new volunteer, Sterling Minick, said he and his son, 13-year-old Oskar Minick, were donating their time to give back to the community. They're both avid cyclists, he said, and this comes with the extra benefit of providing an avenue for them to learn more about the machines they ride and how to maintain them.
"It's a great thing for a community ... This is an opportunity for underprivileged kids to get on a bike," Minick said. "I just hate to see a kid who wants to ride a bike and can't afford one."
General News on 11/22/2017