CNY Family Bike Giveaway opens year-round donation site in Syracuse

The CNY Family Bike Giveaway will begin accepting bicycles at 817 Erie Blvd. W. in Syracuse’s Tipperary Hill neighborhood, giving donors a closer, more regular place to drop off bikes before the annual holiday rush. The new site is in an old auto upholstery building the nonprofit is renting, and it will open June 1 with hours on Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Board member Bob Webber said the group plans to spruce up the building and add exterior signage so people know exactly where to bring bikes. He said the off-season location should also help the nonprofit avoid the last-minute scramble that often comes with gathering enough usable bikes for the annual giveaway at Fowler High School.

The move fits a broader shift for the organization, which now describes itself as collecting bikes for donation and repair year-round and giving them to low-income families at events throughout the year. Webber said the goal is not just to smooth out the flow of donations, but eventually to grow beyond a single once-a-year giveaway and support other organizations across the region.

The timing also reflects how much the effort changed after the death of founder Jan Maloff, who died June 20, 2025, at age 69. Maloff started the giveaway in his garage about 30 years ago, and another account traces the tradition to 1995. After his death, about 40 volunteers stepped in to keep the effort going, and at one point in the 2025 drive roughly 800 to 1,000 bikes had already been fixed and were ready to roll. Another report said more than 2,000 bikes were repaired and given away in the previous year.

For families in Onondaga County, the new Erie Boulevard site could mean more repaired bikes reaching children sooner and fewer usable bicycles sitting idle. The organization’s existing holiday operation has long centered on the New York State Fairgrounds for donations and Fowler High School for the giveaway itself, but the new drop-off point signals a more durable system built to meet demand beyond a single season. For more information, call (315) 726-0255.