LOWER PAXTON, Pa. (WHTM) — In Dauphin County, the Facebook group “Neighbors of Lower Paxton” started collecting bikes for kids during the holiday season last year.

In the second annual bike drive, donations not only tripled, but the group doubled the amount of smiling faces this year.

At George Park in Dauphin County, Neighbors of Lower Paxton Township and the township’s police officers worked together to organize the bicycle donations this week.

“We want to make sure especially this year, that the kids that are out there have something that they can look forward to,” one organizer said.

With the help of a specific sponsor who purchased the bike, the bikes are then matched up with a child.

In 2019, the facebook group held their first bike drive. Their goal was 30 bikes for local children just in time for Christmas. They ended up receiving 51 donations.

This year, their goal was 100 bikes–nearly double the amount received last year. Thanks to the generous donations of the Lower Paxton community, bike donations tripled: This week “Neighbors of Lower Paxton” ended up with 157 bicycles.

Donation drive organizers asked parents to capture their children’s reactions to their new two-wheelers.

“When your child has a big smile on their faces[…]take a picture or video and just share that with us,” said Forrest Healy, an organizer for the Lower Paxton Facebook page.

Healy says one little boy was smiling from ear to ear. “He just said ‘THANK YOU’,” Healy said, “he was just so excited to have a bike.”

This year’s bike drive was a little more special, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to take a toll on families everywhere.

“Everybody needs something, and we are just happy to be here to provide that,” Healy said.