PANAMA CITY — Santa is hard at work in his shop to meet Christmas deadlines.
With more than 200 bicycles ready to find disadvantaged children of Bay County on Christmas Day, Mike Jones is hoping to hit the 300 mark as an ode to 30 years as “Salvage Santa.”
Through the Salvage Santa program, Jones’ and fellow helpers labor in his garage to repair bikes and toys to like-new quality and then distribute them to Bay County’s children in need.
Jones was thinking he would likely not meet the goal, but that is not stopping him from trying.
“We’re going gang busters right now — this is our time of the year,” Jones said. “We are encouraging people to give and continue giving.”
Jones still will need bikes even after the holiday season wraps up, he said.
“Anything that is donated, all the way up to Christmas Day, doesn’t go to waste because I have to have something to start off next year,” he said. “Fixing 250 bikes doesn’t happen overnight.”
The final push is set for Dec. 14, at Northside Baptist Church’s annex, 756 Airport Road, Jones said. He and about 25 volunteers will be accepting donations and “building bikes all day long,” he said.
Bikes are Salvage Santa’s specialty so other areas of contribution are often overlooked.
“We haven’t got hardly any toys,” Jones said. “And it is kind of late for me to build new toys.”
His goal for toys is the same as bikes — get enough to give 300 children a merry Christmas. Jones is only at about 100 in that area.
“We’re asking people to buy new toys and donate them,” he said. “At this point we are trying to get the newest toys for children under 5 years old.”
The toys are distributed by Early Education and Care to Bay County’s children in need. Early Education and community organizations throughout the county reach out to Jones with lists of children who have asked Santa for a bicycle.
Jones said he could still use tricycles and wagons for the really little tykes. An average bike costs about $20 to repair, Jones said, so Salvage Santa also accepts monetary donations, bike parts, steel wool, sandpaper and other necessities.
One noticeable difference this year from the past 30, is a noticeable disparity between supply and demand.
“The need is greater and what’s coming in is less,” Jones said. “A lot of people are hurting.”
Jones mostly has donations delivered to his home at 2715 Hillsboro Ave. If someone has no way to transport the donation, Jones said he could provide find a way to pick it up.
“It’s all about random acts of kindness,” he said.
