REDDING, Calif. - The Chain Gang Bike Shop in Redding is hoping members of the community can help identify and locate several bikes that were stolen from their shop late Tuesday, early Wednesday morning

“Having stuff stolen in general is a bummer,” said Bike Gang Manager Jeff Owens. “But stuff that was going to go to kids is that much worse.”

The bikes were being stored in a trailer in the back lot of the shop for the Redding Trail Alliance.

“Somebody cut the fence and got in, pried the door open on the trailer, stole some hand tools and also stole three bikes that had been donated to replace bikes for kids who lost their bikes in the Carr Fire,” Owens said.

The bikes stolen were Specialized Brand Pitch Models costing approximately $500 each.

“I'm sure for a lot of them it was even an upgrade on the bikes they had before,” Owens said.

They were donated by the Bay Area Bike Project which Owens says put in a lot of time and effort collecting and assembling them, not to mention getting them paired up with the perfect child.

And even though the Carr Fire brought out a lot of good in people, Owens said there are still some grinches out there this holiday season.

“One of the things we've seen after the fire is the community coming together,” Owens said. “Everyone's helping each other out which kind of took away from noticing all the bad stuff that goes on in town. But this is just a reminder that even when you're trying to do something nice, people can come along and ruin that for the kids.”

The bikes were in the box when they were stolen, so it’s not clear what color they were.

But they’re thought to be blue and black.

Owens says the bikes are easily identifiable because they have big tires and a small frame.

Anyone who sees them is asked to call Redding police or the Chain Gang Bike Shop at (530) 243-9951