Cyclists can get a free bike lamp and helmet at the event. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

Red Bank retailer Dean Ross, who spearheaded a bike lamp giveaway earlier this year, is planning to reprise the effort next month. But he needs some help.

The owner of the Doc Shoppe shoe store and Bagel Oven tells redbankgreen that he’s seeking donations of used helmets to give away at the same time.

The mitzvah-minded Ross, who last year gave away hundreds of free pairs of shoes to area kids, said the bike safety effort is needed because some cyclists are riding after dark and without helmets because they can’t afford them, he said.

Locals with “fairly good quality” or better helmets can drop them off at the Doc Shoppe, at 43 Broad Street, or at the Monmouth Reform Temple at 332 Hance Avenue in Tinton Falls.

The lamp and helmet giveaway is scheduled for October 5 at St. Anthony of Padua on Bridge Avenue in Red Bank. The event is scheduled for t to 7:30 p.m., in conjunction with the church’s food pantry distribution.