Providing Hundreds of Bikes for Kids During Holiday

The County of San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office Honor Farm has an annual community program that has received and refurbished bikes for the past 24 years. Recently the program has grown significantly from 250 bikes in 2015 to 600 bikes in 2017. Inmates work diligently throughout the year to refurbish bikes to good functional order and then donate them to families who cannot afford to purchase bikes for their children during the holiday season.
Any remaining refurbished bikes are distributed to other charitable organizations that have a shared focus of benefiting children.
The Christmas Bike Program partners with Bike SLO County to bring in a professional bicycle mechanic twice a week to the Honor Farm to teach inmates the fundamentals of bike repair and refurbishing. This partnership increases the number of bikes that are refurbished each year and improves the quality of each bike. The program is supported by donations from the community and local businesses. However, this year, Central Services has become an integral component to this annual community program.
What Happens to Unneeded Bikes?
To raise money for the Bike Giveaway program, the County’s Central Services Department began auctioning some of the donated adult bikes that were either too large, unsafe, or not intended for children. The auction proceeds enable the Honor Farm Correctional Officers to purchase needed bike parts and helmets for the program.
In 2017, the County Central Services Department generated more than $3,000 from bikes sales for the Christmas Bike Program. In turn, Central Services helps sustain the program’s growth by generating the necessary funds for this annual community program. Central Services, through responsive and cost-effective services, fulfills its mission by partnering with other departments and helping them achieve their goals.
Where can I Find More About Surplus Property?
If you are interested in viewing other items that are no longer of use to any County department because it is obsolete, uneconomical to repair, or valued only for its base contents click on County Surplus Property for the active auction listing.
In 2017, the County Central Services Department generated $500,000 in revenue for departments through surplus sales. Some unique items sold at auction this past year include:
Any remaining refurbished bikes are distributed to other charitable organizations that have a shared focus of benefiting children.
The Christmas Bike Program partners with Bike SLO County to bring in a professional bicycle mechanic twice a week to the Honor Farm to teach inmates the fundamentals of bike repair and refurbishing. This partnership increases the number of bikes that are refurbished each year and improves the quality of each bike. The program is supported by donations from the community and local businesses. However, this year, Central Services has become an integral component to this annual community program.
What Happens to Unneeded Bikes?
To raise money for the Bike Giveaway program, the County’s Central Services Department began auctioning some of the donated adult bikes that were either too large, unsafe, or not intended for children. The auction proceeds enable the Honor Farm Correctional Officers to purchase needed bike parts and helmets for the program.
In 2017, the County Central Services Department generated more than $3,000 from bikes sales for the Christmas Bike Program. In turn, Central Services helps sustain the program’s growth by generating the necessary funds for this annual community program. Central Services, through responsive and cost-effective services, fulfills its mission by partnering with other departments and helping them achieve their goals.
Where can I Find More About Surplus Property?
If you are interested in viewing other items that are no longer of use to any County department because it is obsolete, uneconomical to repair, or valued only for its base contents click on County Surplus Property for the active auction listing.
In 2017, the County Central Services Department generated $500,000 in revenue for departments through surplus sales. Some unique items sold at auction this past year include:
- Double-Wide Modular Building sold for $29,200
- Trailer with Chiller sold for $8,700
- 3 John Deere Tractors sold for $38,000 total