Hometown Heroes: OnBikes rolls out the love

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A bike is something that a lot of kids want for Christmas. But it can come with a high cost.  So a local non-profit is helping families in need fulfill those Christmas wishes.

OnBikes is teaming up with Flying Fish Bikes to provide two-wheeled rides to hundreds of local children for the holidays.  They even organized a large bike-building event at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

"It turned into Santa's workshop, which we like to call Santa's bike shop," said OnBikes co-founder Julius Tobin.

Hundreds of volunteers took over the arena, with help from the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The bikes go to charities across Tampa, including Metropolitan Ministries.

"I've been blessed to be able to see a mom with tears in her eyes with joy because she never thought she would have been able to provide a bike for her son or daughter. That's so impactful," said Metropolitan Ministries president and CEO Tim Marks.

Tobin says the support for the program has been a blessing.

"The community has really come together to rally around us and it's been a ton of fun. It's a labor of love, but it's what we do -- love," he continued.

For more information about OnBikes, visit www.OnBikes.org
For more information how to donate to Metropolitan Ministries, visit www.MetroMin.org