With Christmas days away, it is the time of giving in Western North Carolina, and several organizations are giving back to the community.

Nonprofit organization Can’d Aid and local volunteers built and donated 100 bikes to the entire first and second grade students at Brevard Elementary School in Brevard, according to a news release. The bikes were built at Oskar Blues Brewery Taproom on Dec. 11 and donated the following day. The in-person donation event included a live demonstration by a Treads+Trails Ambassador and professional mountain biker Jeff Lenosky, who provided a few tips and tricks to encourage the kids to get active outside, the release said.

“Children average seven hours of screen time per day and only one in five gets the daily recommended amount of exercise, ” said Can’d Aid’s executive director Diana Ralston in the release. “Through the Treads+Trails program, Can’d Aid helps combat these troubling statistics.”

Can’d Aid has donated more than 13,000 bikes and skateboards nationally, the release said. For many of the children receiving a donation, this will be their very first bike – providing a valuable opportunity to get outside and be active.

“Ahead of the holiday season, this is the perfect time of year for the donation,” said Ralston. “Seeing the children’s faces is one of the best parts of my job.”

To donate or find out more information, visit candaid.org.

Pisgah Legal Services gives back to the community

According to a news release, donations made to nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services will be matched dollar-for-dollar through the end of the year. Gifts will be used to support the charity’s work to prevent homelessness, stop domestic violence and increase access to health care for local people with low