Standing over a pink and purple girl's bicycle decorated with Disney characters, Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Turner made sure the wheels he helped assemble rolled smoothly.
A 25-year veteran of the Waltham department, Turner joined a handful of volunteers from the Waltham firefighters union this week who donated their time to assemble bikes for The Salvation Army's Wish Upon a Star program.
"I can give a few hours, it's the least I can do for the kids," Turner said. "The city's been good to me."
Every year The Salvation Army solicits Christmas gifts for needy Waltham families. For the past 11 years, the Waltham firefighters union has contributed brand-new bicycles assembled and ready to go under the tree.
"We started doing this program because it was one of the programs that directly affects kids in the Waltham area," said Lt. Jim Perry, who has been participating in the program since it began.
On Tuesday night firefighters spent hours putting together everything from tricycles for toddlers to 26-inch bikes for teenagers. Over the years, Perry said, the program has grown from donating about 40 bikes to an average of 75.
"They (firefighters) really add to the quality of the (Wish Upon a Star) program," said Salvation Army Capt. Lolita Sanchez.
Sanchez organized rooms full of gifts in the Main Street office space donated to the nonprofit organization for its annual collection. She said Wish Upon a Star will provide presents for 832 children in the Waltham area whose families could not otherwise afford them. The low- and middle-income families who qualify for the program also receive food for their holiday meals, Sanchez said.
"There are just a lot of children in need," Sanchez said, adding the organization still needs more donations for older children.
Bicycles of all sizes and colors filled the room Tuesday night as the off-duty firefighters tightened nuts and chains. Perry, who has two sons, said the firefighters spend time assembling the bikes instead of handing them to families in pieces to save parents the time and make Christmas morning more exciting for the children.
"When I was a lot younger my family went through some tough times when my father was sick and a lot of people stepped up to help my family out. This is a way that I can kind of give back," Perry said.
Though he has made donations to the program in the past, this was Lt. John Craig's first year volunteering to assemble the bikes.
"It's a learning process," Craig said laughing. "But there's a definite need to help out a bit."
Sanchez said parents will pick up donated gifts from The Salvation Army today and tomorrow. At the same time, the organization is struggling to meet its $100,000 fundraising goal though its kettle program, she said. The program, which runs through Christmas Eve, has volunteers stand outside businesses with red kettles ringing bells to raise donations for The Salvation Army. So far, Sanchez said, the organization has yet to reach its halfway mark.
Money from the kettle program goes to support The Salvation Army year-round helping fund daily feeding programs, a food pantry, an after-school program, and rental and utilities assistance.
The Salvation Army is the recipient of this year's Gifts of Hope campaign by the Daily News Tribune. Gifts of Hope donations will help fund the Waltham branch of The Salvation Army's Christmas Castle, holiday dinners, and other programs the organization runs year-round.
To contribute, send or drop off donations to The Salvation Army, 33 Myrtle St., Waltham, MA 02453.
Nicole Haley can be reached at nhaley@cnc.com or 781-398-8004.
