By Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
Allen Lindeman of Stirling has been riding his bike to his job at Stop & Shop in Berkeley Heights for at least five years. He never got a license, so his bike was always his means of transportation.
It’s a 15 to 20-minute bike ride from his home to his job. Then when his bike broke down in January, Allen had no choice but to walk to work.
Berkeley Heights residents Cindy and John Lepore saw Allen walking during one of the days when the temperature was dangerously cold. They offered Allen a ride and he told them that his bike was broken.
The couple wanted to help, and Cindy’s sister, Cathy Balsamo, put a plan into action by posting a photo of Allen’s old bike in a Berkeley Heights Community Forum on Facebook and asking for donations to help him get a new bike.
Over $3000 was raised within a week. And Allen was able to get his new bike, which he got from High Gear Cyclery Inc., in Stirling – where he’d go to get his bikes fixed throughout the years.
When Allen first heard he was getting a new bike, he was shocked. Cathy Balsamo told him they were going to take him to the bike shop to pick out a bike he liked.
“I love it so much. It’s awesome,” said Allen. “I was crying, ‘Oh my God!’ All happy tears.”
Regarding everyone who pitched in and helped, Allen said, “I love them all.”
When Allen took his first ride on the new bike to his job at Stop & Shop he said, “People were loving my beautiful bike.” The night before he got the bike, he was so excited he had trouble sleeping.
Chris Ricci, a sales associate at High Gear Cyclery said that Allen’s old bike needed a lot of work and wasn’t ridable. “They [the community] wanted to get him a new bike. A lot of people donated. He came in here early. He was super happy. He was crying, he was so happy. This is his ‘car.’”
Allen got to road-test the bike and pick out a bunch of accessories, including a new helmet. The money raised by the community fully outfitted him for riding. “Money leftover was donated to his family to pay some bills,” added Ricci.
Ralph Bartlow, store manager at Stop & Shop added, “We got a great response from everybody in town.”
Balsamo said, “All who played a big role in getting this done were Cindy Lepore, John Lepore, and Michael Delia. Such a great community. Allen is beyond happy.”
(above) The new bike!
Photos courtesy of High Gear Cycling, Inc.
Photos courtesy of High Gear Cycling, Inc.
(above) Allen Lindeman enjoying his new bike. (Photo courtesy of Cathy Balsamo).
(above, l-r) Cindy Lepore, John Lepore, Allen Lindeman, Michael Delia, and Cathy Balsamo. (Photo courtesy of Cathy Balsamo).
