SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — For 28 years, Jan Maloff has been asking Central New Yorkers to dig into their sheds and share unused bicycles with kids who don’t have one.

But the idea goes back a lot farther than that to when Jan and his buddies would stay after school to let kids from the Elmcrest Children’s Center ride their bikes.

If it was a real big treat for them, I thought if I ever became rich, but I never got that rich. I would buy everybody a new bike.

Jan Maloff

The Central New York bike giveaway has become one of the area’s great holiday traditions. Every year, Maloff partners with local law enforcement agencies to distribute the bikes as a way to help build positive relationships between police and the community. Maloff guesses more than 50,000 bicycles have been distributed over the years. And the bikes just keep coming.

It’s amazing the bicycles you see coming today are just. Unsolicited dropped off in my driveway in the last 10 days. I come home. There’s bicycles in my driveway.

Jan Maloff

Support from the community keeps building, too, from businesses like Drivers Village. Which will host the season’s first bike drop-off this weekend.

Saturday and Sunday from noon to four, the bikes will be fixed up and cleaned up, and given away just before Christmas.

In the bike department. Yes, I’m Santa Claus.

Jan Maloff