City Times Staff

Shifting Gears took receipt of more than 120 additional donated bikes on Thursday, thanks to area police departments. 

The large-scale delivery, containing adult and children’s bikes, was added to hundreds already filling the organization’s Wood Street warehouse either being prepped for repair or ready for purchase. The bikes were unloaded and placed into storage by teenage volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club of Portage County.

“Eventually, we’d like to actually hire someone, make someone an employee, someone who’s been doing a good job,” said Dan Barth, president of the board of managers for Shifting Gears. “But right now everyone is a volunteer.”

Shifting Gears bills itself as having the “largest selection of used bicycles” in the Stevens Point and Plover area. The nonprofit works hand-in-hand with JusticeWorks, which utilizes nonviolent offenders to rebuild their place in the community.

Barth said the bicycle donations occur throughout the year, and are provided by local police departments. Area police seize abandoned bicycles from around the area and if unclaimed are given to the organization to resale, he said.