Local Boy Scout troops are continuing their annual tradition of refurbishing used bicycles for Mac’s Toy Fund.

Mac’s Toy Fund was started by former Beckley Post-Herald editor Ted McDowell during the Great Depression as a program to provide toys at Christmas for children of underprivileged families.

Thursday night, Boy Scout Troop 103 of the Dry Hill-Prosperity Community Center and Troop 295 of Perry Memorial Methodist Church in Shady Spring met at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center to clean and repair used bicycles in preparation for the annual Mac’s Toy Fund distribution party on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the convention center.

“I think it’s great. It teaches them not only about recycling used bikes for somebody who needs it, but it also teaches them how to fix bikes,” said Bill Sumpter, father of two Boy Scouts who stayed to help his sons.

“It’s a win-win all the way,” Sumpter said.

The boys worked in small groups independently, asking for little help from their scoutmasters.

They were diligently replacing tires, chains, seats, brakes and “polishing off the rust to make it shiny,” as 12-year-old D.J. Adkins of Troop 103 described it.

“I have to get all of this rust off of it,” he said, concentrating on an old, rusted bicycle chain he was cleaning.

“We’re helping other kids that haven’t had a bike. It will be pretty nice for them to have a good Christmas.”

D.J.’s brother, 11-year-old John, said, “I love it!”

“We give them to little children for Christmas. I hope they’re happy,” John said.

Cody Simmons, 13, said, “It makes me feel special that we get to help out kids.”

The Boy Scouts are encouraging community members to drop off old bicycles for Mac’s Toy Fund through Friday, Dec. 18.

“People are just not donating a lot of used bikes this year,” said scoutmaster Arnold Bolen of Troop 103.

Bikes can be dropped off at the Beckley Fire Department’s Station 3 on Eisenhower Drive or behind the convention center.

“I encourage kids to donate their bikes to help other kids who are less fortunate,” said Zach Elkins, 13, of Troop 103.

Bolen said special thanks are in order to the convention center, which year after year allows the Boy Scouts to use the facility as a drop-off location and gives them a “warm” place to work.

Bolen said he’d also like to thank the Beckley Work-Release Center for allowing work-release inmates help repair the bicycles.

— E-mail: jayres@register-herald.com