Dec 14, 2015 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – A big-box cargo truck rolled up to the Catholic Charities office in Waynesburg on Saturday to deliver Christmas cheer to Greene County children.

A bright procession of new bicycles emerged from the truck and filled the sidewalk along High Street as a small army of volunteers began unloading them faster than they could be taken indoors.

The Bike Angels of Pennsylvania had arrived to deliver 100 bicycles, each with a shiny new helmet, just in time for Catholic Charities Loving Hearts Christmas Gifts program.

Gary Yaquinto, director of Catholic Charities for Washington and Greene counties, was all smiles as he maneuvered past the rows of bikes lining the hall to his office, which was filled with wrapped presents. A large storage room also was full of holiday gifts, racks of coats and stacks of other goods that families might need this winter.

“We serve between 300 and 500 families a year, and all the children get presents. Our offices are full of gifts now, and we’ll be calling families in over the next few days to pick them up,” he said.

Loving Hearts is the new name for the long-established Catholic Charities program known as Angel Tree. This year’s bike bonanza will be shared with other agencies in the county that serve children of economically stressed families, Yaquinto said.

“These bikes are an extra, and we are very grateful.”

Bike Angel co-founder Lee Hebert of Pittsburgh said the group has been giving away the bicycles in Pennsylvania for the past four or five years. The group typically gives out 100 bikes each year through Catholic Charities and has traveled to different counties.

“We started in Allegheny and have spread into Butler, Washington and surrounding counties,” he said. “This year, we’re in Greene County.”

Bike Angels started with a small but generous gesture when a group of friends in Oklahoma decided to give back during the holidays and bought bicycles for the children of a family in need, Hebert said. The tradition continued and the number of kids treated to new bikes for Christmas grew every year.

By 2010, Bike Angels was raising funds through email, Facebook and word of mouth, and giving 100 bikes a year in Pennsylvania through Catholic Charities.

To donate to Bike Angels, go to Facebook or email BikeAngelsPA@gmail.com. All gifts are tax deductible.