Christmas will come early this year for hundreds of children in Cumberland County.
The annual Bike Giveaway Program takes place Dec. 7 in Fayetteville. WRAL's Gilbert Baez was the first reporter to tell the story of Moses Mathis, the "bicycle man," in 1990.
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This year, more than 1,000 kids will get to pick out a bike for Christmas.
The giveaway was the dream of Mathis, who wanted to make sure children who are less fortunate had a bike for Christmas. His wife, Ann, took over the program after he passed away in 2013.
Ann Mathis has since passed away, but the bicycle man's dream lives on.
"In the beginning the program started off as a neighborhood garage thing with Mr. Mathis, and it has transpired to where we need a warehouse, because we receive almost 3,000 requests every year," said Bernadette Bogertey-Harvey, the program's director.
Bogertey-Harvey worked with Moses and Ann Mathis for more than 30 years. She's changed the name of the program for technical reasons from the "bicycle man" giveaway to the Bike Giveaway Program.
This year, Bogertey-Harvey said, the need is greater than ever.
"We started out last year just getting a building, and we were able to serve just 300 children," Bogertey-Harvey said. "This year, we're back to our original numbers, which is receiving requests by 2,500 kids."
Keith Melvin has been repairing bikes for the giveaway for 15 years. He said the work is a labor of love.
"Handlebars, brakes, gears and tires, seats sometimes [and] these reflectors ... it's trying to make sure everybody is safe if they ride at night," he described.
The cornerstone of the special event is that children -- not their parents -- get to pick out the bicycle of their dreams.
"Children have a different view on what it is they want, and we want to make sure that the children are happy, and that's what this program is about ... the children," Bogertey-Harvey said.
If you'd like to make a donation, call The Healthy Child & Adolescent Network at 910-745-8008.