SLO County Sheriff’s Office plays Santa: 600 bikes being given to local children

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office was playing Santa Claus this week by giving more than 600 bicycles to underprivileged children for its annual Christmas Bicycle Giveaway. On Thursday, 184 of those bikes, along with helmets, were picked up by children of all ages.

For the annual event, held since 1989, Honor Farm inmates refurbish bikes donated by the community throughout the year.

“Inmates do all of the work, but they are also learning a marketable skill,” said Correctional Sgt. Stephanie Landgraf, an Honor Farm supervisor. “That is the dual role we hope to achieve: that the community is benefiting, but also the inmates are benefiting from learning something they weren’t familiar with.”

The Sheriff’s Advisory Foundation also supports the program, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. The nonprofit group Rita’s Rainbows donated the helmets.

The Honor Farm, which houses low-risk inmates, is located on Oklahoma Avenue in San Luis Obispo.

This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 4:29 PM with the headline "SLO County Sheriff’s Office plays Santa: 600 bikes being given to local children."