Fayetteville organization looking for volunteers to help kids in need

The Bicycle Man was started 29 years ago by Moses Mathis. He died five years ago but his wife, Ann, has carried on the tradition. Right now, they need volunteers to get tires and chains on bikes and make other minor repairs.

Ann Mathis said she is looking for "anybody that can turn a screw. I'm not going to say any particular group of people. Just anybody that's got time on their hands that knows how to repair a bike."

At Christmas time, children get to pick out their own bikes. For Mathis and her late husband that was the best part.

"That's the fun part of it," she said. "And to see the smiles on their face when they find that one particular bike that they like."

Bicycle repairman Keith Melvin has been fixing up bikes for as long as he can remember.

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"Well my oldest brother, he helped me out when he was growing up," Melvin said. "Told me how to fix a bike."

For the past seven years he's been using his talents to make repairs on bikes for The Bicycle Man.

But the organization is in need of more mechanics to help them fix bikes.The hope is that large groups of people like sororities, fraternities or even units at Fort Bragg will join in to keep the tradition of giving bikes going.

This year's bicycle giveaway is Saturday Dec. 22, but volunteers are needed right now.