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EPHRATA, Pa. (WHTM) – Eric Bair owns the Sports Barber in Ephrata. Besides giving people fresh cuts, he gives bikes to Toys For Tots annually since 2010.
“I just had to get involved,” he said. “It seemed natural.”
Bair is a former member of the Marines, making him quite familiar with the Toys For Tots system.
In his first year he collected seven bikes. His second he racked up 19, then 36 in 2012. The list goes on.
Now he’s getting hundreds yearly.
“The most we ever got was 301,” he said. “[I] never saw this coming.”
It takes a lot of people to make it all happen Bair says. People need to assemble the bikes, which are bought with cash donated or placed into a plastic jar at the shop.
They raised $8,000 this year resulting in the purchase of over 260 bikes.
Once all of the bikes are collected and assembled, two tractor-trailers will come and pick them up.
Four years ago, the loading process caught the eye of Ashley Steffy.
“I stopped. I saw all these bikes sitting out on the sidewalk and I’m thinking ‘what the heck’ so I stopped and asked him what’s he doing. Then I asked if I could help out,” Steffy said.
From that point on Steffy has been on board helping Bair.
Customers of the barbershop have enjoyed the tradition, which has created traditions for individual families that want to help out.
“A dad and three sons all get bikes appropriate to their own size in a box and they go home. They pick a Saturday and they all assemble them in the garage together,” Bair said. “They are learning a little bit [and getting] a little bit of family time. It teaches the kids to give as well as receive.”
The gift of giving is what it’s all about, which hooked Steffy from the moment he saw it.
“[My wife and I] both worked in education. We worked with a lot of different types of kids – special needs kids, handicap kids. Working with them is a lot different,” Steffy said “When you bring excitement and joy to their faces, it’s really meaningful.”
Saturday, December 9th there will be a Lancaster County Toys for Tots drive at the Ephrata American Legion.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is a new, unwrapped toy or a donation.
There will be auctions, 50/50, music and Santa will be in attendance.
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