HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Christmas is coming early for hundreds of kids in Tampa.
Mayor Jane Castor partnered with "Onbikes" and others for the "Caroling with Castor" event Friday.
The Tampa Bay Lightning even let the volunteers use Amalie Arena to assemble more than 900 bikes.
"Got to be a kid again," said Julius Tobin, the Co-Founder of Onbikes.
"During the pandemic, we learned how important it was to ride a bike for mental health and to get out and for some parents and some families to not able to afford that and for us to be able to provide them and bring communities together I mean it's truly amazing," Tobin said.
For the year, they gave away between 1,200 to 1,400 bicycles.
“This is what I like to call the Best Day Ever,” Mayor Jane Castor said.
“Seeing the looks on their faces when we pull up in the float is just incredible. Every kid deserves a bike and it is so heartwarming seeing some of these kids get their first bike ever.” Castor said.
Other partners include TECO and Tampa General Hospital.
This is the fourth year for Caroling with Castor.
