San Rafael, CA – Firefighters from the Marin County Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Department associated with the International Association of Firefighters Local 1775 are collecting bicycles to give to family members who were burned out of their homes in the recent North Bay wildfires.
Collected new and used bikes will be delivered November 11 to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. The firefighters plan to deliver new and used bikes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, November 11, at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, 2796 Ventura Avenue, Santa Rosa. The bikes will be available for adults and children with addresses listed as destroyed on the official damage inspection report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention, aka CALFIRE.
“Our goal is to deliver 1,000 bikes, and we need help,” said Battalion Chief Bret McTigue of the Marin County Fire Department. “We know there are generous people in Marin who would still like to make donations to the victims of this disaster. Bikes are needed to bring back a sense of normalcy for both adults and children as we all heal from the tragic events. Even though the fires are out, the fire service family is not done supporting the relief efforts.”
Donated bikes may be dropped off at any Southern Marin, Mill Valley or Marin County Fire station. If you would rather donate money to the cause, go to the GoFundMe website that has been created for this project. Novato-based Benjamin Franklin Plumbing has set a company goal of $15,000 for the fundraiser and has agreed to match up to $5,000 in public donations. All funds will be used to purchase bikes or helmets.