MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – “Bike Angel” Candy Alcott drew applause from the small crowd of people in the parking lot of Beulah’s Kitchen on Saturday when she said she would attempt to break the record for bicycles given away to victims of the September Valley fire.
“We have given away 980 bikes and we’re going to come back and set a record by giving away 600 more,” she said.
A primary school teacher for much of her life, Alcott plans to set the bar for giving away bicycles so high that it will be out of reach.
Not that there are people standing in line to give away their bikes. Her next giveaway, when she plans to set her record, is slated for early April.
Her pronouncement led to the question of who holds the record, which, in turn, led back to Alcott who has been the linchpin for giving away the 980 bikes.
Alcott, who has created a clearinghouse for all the bicycles that have been given to tots on up to people who ride them to work, said she still has 600 family names on her Facebook.
So far, most of the recipients of the bikes have been residents of Hidden Valley Lake and Cobb Mountain. Many of the recipients had homes that were burned to the ground.
“But everyone is welcome,” she said, “and they could just as well be victims of the Jerusalem and Rocky fires as Middletown. They are welcome.”
Alcott has been gratified by the generous response from people who have bicycles to give away.
“When I needed 30 bikes I got 300,” she said. “When I needed 40 we got 500 and when I needed 25 we got 400.”
The Petaluma Fire Department, she added, was deserving of special mention because the firefighters have been consistent in giving away bikes at a rate of 50 or 60 annually.
“We had a number of donations from and have had help from different organizations,” said Ron Maxwell of Cal Fire.
On Saturday, Call Fire hauled in a truckload bikes. Saturday’s donation followed a week in which Cal Fire made four donations.
Alcott said that 115 bikes were given away on Saturday and that 49 of them were new.
“We call this drive ‘the child within,’ because all of the adults have a child inside,” said Alcott.
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'Bike Angel' holds latest giveaway, plans to give out more bikes in the spring
- John Lindblom
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