The six-week appeal launched on November 15 with backing from The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM. The Salvation Army is collecting its final items until 3pm on Monday.
As of December 15, the foodbank had raised $73,858.
This was made of $34,143 in food donations, $19,875 in cash and vouchers, and $19,840 in toys and gifts.
Many of the bikes had been assembled without mechanical know-how, resulting in loose wheels and poorly fitted components, Woodall said. Each bike needed to be rebuilt properly.
Within a few hours, the bikes were brought up to a standard Woodall would be happy for any child to ride, making them ready to be unwrapped and enjoyed on Christmas morning.
While his day-to-day work usually involved working on “very nice, very expensive bikes for customers”, Woodall said it was “nice” to use those skills to support a different part of the cycling community.
The flexibility of running his own business meant he could step in when help was needed, something he felt was important when his skills could make a direct difference.
He hadn’t worked alongside the Salvation Army before, but refurbishing bikes for community use was not new, with similar efforts in the past seeing bikes donated to schools and local charities.
Woodall expected his Christmas to be largely business as usual in the workshop, but hoped to find time over the break to get out riding himself.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.
