Al's Bike Drive donates 1,245 bicycles to Marine Corps League for Toys for Tots

Al Todd III said his bicycle was an important part of his childhood.

He remembers riding to his friends’ homes and through the neighborhood.

Now, his goal is to make sure that every child in Western Pennsylvania has that opportunity.

The annual Al’s Bike Drive, created by Todd, took place Thursday for the 12th consecutive year. More than a thousand donated bicycles were transported to Weleski Self Storage in Creighton. From the storage facility, the Marine Corps League Detachment 827 will distribute the bikes as part of their Toys for Tots program.

Todd created the bike drive in 2008. He said a total of 1,245 bicycles were donated this year – a 20% increase from last year, and more than 200 bikes over his goal.

“For me, today is nothing short of Christmas day,” said Todd on Thursday. “Every year, I am even more humbled by the generosity of people in Western Pennsylvania. Even in hard economic times, we see these sizable increases.”

Kevin Geppert, who heads the Toys for Tots program for Detachment 827, said Al’s Bike Drive makes a monumental difference to the detachment. When money is donated to the league for Toys for Tots, members are only able to spend about $30 on each individual toy. That pretty much rules out bicycles, Geppert said.

“It’s heartbreaking to see a family who goes without anything,” Geppert said. “To give a chance for a child to have this glorious memory, it’s a great program.”

Each year, families are able to request bicycles from the Marine Corps League. Geppart said the detachment tries to give to different children every year. Once a family signs up, the detachment will find a bike that matches the request and will distribute it to the family. Distribution officially begins Dec. 10, and will continue on designated days throughout the month.

Geppert said the collaboration started with just 31 bikes. Now, the program has grown so much that other Marine Corps League Detachments across Allegheny, Butler and Beaver counties are included. He said Weleski Self Storage is also crucial in the success of the program. This year, the company donated a trailer to help transport the bikes to the storage facility.

Money is collected throughout the year, and bikes are then purchased from the Walmart in Richmond Township. Todd said this year, the Walmart Foundation also donated a sizable grant to help with the purchase of bikes.

In total, this year’s bike drive received 190 donations from patrons in six different states, Todd said.