250: Olympia’s Roaring Motorcycle Toy Run with Captain Amelia Mott

At Christmastime, the spirit of generosity shines brightest. But we know giving isn’t just about what we give. It’s about how we give. And that’s why we’re calling this series: Give With Joy. 

Every December in Olympia, Washington, the sound of Christmas isn’t just bells ringing—it’s engines revving.

For one incredible day, thousands of bikers fill the streets, each with toys strapped to their motorcycles—dolls, skateboards, games, stuffed animals—all destined for children who might otherwise go without.

It’s the annual Olympia Toy Run, and for 48 years, this event has brought together riders from all over the region for one shared purpose: bringing joy to kids at Christmas.

Those toys, thousands of them, end up at The Salvation Army, where they become part of the Toy and Joy program—helping families across Thurston County celebrate Christmas with dignity and love.

Today, we’ll talk with Captain Amelia Mott from The Salvation Army in Olympia about how the Toy Run helps meet real needs in the community—and later, we’ll catch up with Santa Joe, the biker who started and has led this joyful ride year after year.

Because generosity doesn’t always come wrapped with ribbons and bows. Sometimes, it comes roaring down the street on two wheels.

Show highlights include:

• The unforgettable roar of hundreds of motorcycles riding into Olympia with toys strapped to their bikes.
• How Santa Joe and local bikers began the Toy Run nearly 50 years ago to ensure every child wakes up with gifts on Christmas morning.
• The Salvation Army now receives 100% of the toys, totaling about $140,000 in gifts each year for local families.
• After the ride, the corps transforms into “Santa’s warehouse,” sorting toys for some 1,300 children.
• The emotional moments on distribution day, when parents express renewed hope and dignity.
• The joy of partnering with Santa Joe and the biker community, what Captain Amelia Mott calls one of her favorite days of the year.
• How God uses people’s unique passions—like riding motorcycles—to show generosity in creative ways.

Listen and subscribe to The Do Gooders Podcast now. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, see the links at the bottom of this post.

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Captain Amelia Mott: Before you see the bikes, you hear them. It’s this rumble and then it’s this roar coming through the city to the lake and park that it ends at. And as the bikers get closer, you see like Barbie Dream Houses strapped to the back of a Harley. And Lego sets, and people are dressed up for Christmastime and it’s just quite a sight to see but also just to hear. There’s no missing them because there’s just hundreds of bikers riding through town with toys strapped to the back of the motorcycles. It’s pretty cool.

Christin Thieme: That’s so fun. I love it. How did this partnership come about with The Salvation Army and this biker community?

Captain Amelia Mott: What happened is 48 years ago, Santa Joe Sullivan decided with some of his biker friends that they wanted to do two things. First, they wanted to give back to the community and make sure that every child who was in need woke up on Christmas morning with toys under their tree. And the second part is that they wanted to foster good feelings and good rapport with the community because sometimes, you know, people have different opinions of who bikers are, but they wanted to foster a really good spirit between them and the community. 

And so I’m not sure exactly which officer Santa Joe approached, but he approached The Salvation Army and basically said, We’re doing this toy run and we’d like to share our toys with you, because they knew that The Salvation Army had an Angel Tree Christmas assistance program. 

And from there, every single year, The Salvation Army has been involved with the toy run and we receive 100 percent of every toy that’s donated. 

And it’s not just on that day. They have close to 15 different businesses that put out toy boxes for us all over Thurston County. So from November through mid-December, they are collecting toys for us. And the cool thing about the run is that in order to be a part of the run, you either have to donate a toy or donate funds so that when we run low, the toy run basically goes out and purchases the toys that we need.

So if we’re running low on ages 10 to 12, say, the next day, our tables are full.

Christin Thieme: That’s incredible. How many toys are we talking about?

Captain Amelia Mott: It’s really amazing. Thousands of toys. When we add up the gift in kind, it’s close to $140,000 worth of toys.

Christin Thieme: Wow, that’s amazing. What does it mean for you personally? I assume you’ve gotten to know Santa Joe. What is it like to partner with him and to be part of this event every year for you?

Captain Amelia Mott: It is one of my favorite days. So one of the things is that the toy run is not just on one Saturday. We meet once a month here at The Salvation Army to plan and to work toward that day. 

And Santa Joe is one of the kindest, most generous people you will meet. He’s a celebrity in town. He doesn’t really like the attention but wherever he goes, people know him. And he’s organized just an amazing group of people that come together, that give up their time. It’s all volunteer to make sure the toy run happens. And even during the year, they’ve done fundraisers for us for school supplies for kids, for back to school. So they are always looking at ways to help us, which is amazing.

Christin Thieme: So the big ride happens in early December, the ride ends and you have thousands of toys. What happens next?

Captain Amelia Mott: So we basically transform part of our building into Santa’s warehouse. And so with volunteers from the community, we sort and count the toys because here in Thurston County, we help close to 600 families with Christmas toys, which usually is an average of 1,300 children. So once we receive those toys, we start packing the bags for each family.

And so we have an application system so we know exactly what the children want and we’re able to provide that for them because of this toy.

Christin Thieme: Can you talk a little bit about the difference that these toys make for families in your community?

Captain Amelia Mott: It makes a huge difference. My second favorite day in December is distribution day, when families come to pick up their toys and when they see the bikes rolling out and they see a giant bag full of toys for their children with coats and with clothing.

People say things like, you know, I didn’t know what Christmas would be like this year, but now I’ve got hope. Like my children are going to wake up with toys under the tree. I didn’t know if that was possible. And so we even had one person, her car broke down and she didn’t know how she was going to get here. And U-Haul was having a sale, so she rented a U-Haul to pick up her toys because that’s how important it was for her to make sure that Christmas morning was bright for her kids. 

It’s hard for me not to cry on that day when I just see the joy and also the hope that it brings that when people in the community get together and work together, we can achieve so much.

Christin Thieme: As a Salvation Army officer, why do you think that Christmas morning moment is so important for us to be involved in?

Captain Amelia Mott: One, because for me, Christmas morning reminds me of the hope that we have in Jesus, right? The birth of Jesus. And that’s what we’re celebrating at Christmas. But I just remember for myself as a child, waking up that morning and being able to celebrate and feeling loved and cared for that morning was huge. 

So for me, it’s about each and every child waking up every day, but especially that morning, just feeling loved, but also being able to give that dignity back to the parent that they know that they were able to provide for their child and create, you know, special memories. And my hope is that they remember that morning why The Salvation Army gave toys, which is to share hope and joy in the love of Jesus.

Christin Thieme: Yeah, we are talking just weeks away from this year’s event coming up. So what is happening right now behind the scenes?

Captain Amelia Mott: It is full-on prep mode. So on our end, we bring a canteen down to the end of the run and we serve coffee and cocoa and cookies. So we’re organizing all of the supplies, getting things ready for the toy run. They’re finalizing the permits. They also have vendors that come down. Last year, a group came down that had puppies and so people could like pet puppies and just really have a really fun time.

So everything right now is just in that finalizing everything, making sure every detail is worked out. And so we have, I think we have two more meetings left before the big day.

Christin Thieme: What are you most excited about for this year’s toy run and Christmas season in general?

Captain Amelia Mott: I think I’m most excited about one, like the sight of the bikes coming through town never gets old for me. I love it. And I love also being able to talk to the bikers and hear about how this year they’re riding with their grandson. And it’s a family affair that it’s a tradition that’s passed down every year, it seems. 

And so it’s just wonderful to get to talk to everybody and hear about why they ride and why they choose this particular toy run. And it’s just a lot of fun. We get to be out in the community. 

And that’s what I’m hoping for this Christmas season, especially, that our efforts will bring joy to people’s lives, hope and love. And I hope that just by being out in the community and sharing with the people of Thurston County and Olympia that they will feel that love and that joy. And it just goes back and forth between us and each other as we work to help each other out.

Christin Thieme: Why do you think it’s important for people to see that ministry and generosity can take so many different forms, even something as unexpected as a motorcycle parade?

Captain Amelia Mott: I think because that’s the way God works. He uses all of us and all of our skills and he places in our hearts different callings. He also has made us to be creative. And so I just think this, when you look at it, it’s really God’s handiwork in all of this, allowing everyone to use their skills, the things that they love to do, which in this particular motorcycle run is, know, bikers, love to ride, but they also wanted to give back to the community. 

And so I just think it’s a unique way, but I think that’s also how God works, too. And I think it should encourage us all to use the things that we love to do to also give back.

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Christin Thieme: It’s clear that the Olympia Toy Run isn’t just an event—it’s a ministry of joy on two wheels. And at the center of it all is the man everyone calls Santa Joe, who’s been leading the charge to bring Christmas cheer, biker-style.

After the Toy Run wrapped up this year, we caught up with Santa Joe to talk about what it’s like to lead thousands of riders through Olympia and why, for him, it’s always been “all about the kids.”

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Christin Thieme: Okay, so how was the event? 

Santa Joe: It went very well, you know, the weather cooperated with us, we got a little wet, then it would get the sun came out, then we had rainbows, and it turned out a perfect day, really. 

Christin Thieme: Oh, that’s so nice. I love it. For someone who’s never been there to actually see the toy run take place, can you describe what it’s like? 

Santa Joe: Well, it’s a combination. We’ve been doing this for 48 years, but it’s all about doing something for the community, and as motorcyclists, we were trying to put together some type of event where we could help out The Salvation Army and have something, toys and and things for the kids. And so in about 1977, 78, we got this thing started. And it’s just grown year after year and we’re still at it. 

Christin Thieme: It’s so fun. How many riders took part this year? 

Santa Joe: Uh, I’m thinking probably, maybe a good 1,200, I think, somewhere in that neighborhood. 

Christin Thieme: That’s incredible. What was the energy like out on the streets? 

Santa Joe: There’s, you know, we have a, we have crowds that, we do this every year and we are on the same route and the families show up and we got crowds all the way through the parade routes. 

Christin Thieme: So fun. What is your favorite part of the ride each year? 

Santa Joe: Oh, I think the probably just the camaraderie of meeting with everybody. You know, I’ve done a couple of generations here. The families, I’ve Santa Claus kids and their kids and their kids. So it’s been a real heartwarming event for me can, uh, just the meeting of everybody, you know, and it’s just a good warm feeling that everybody can get together and do this event every year. 

Christin Thieme: Yeah. Do you have a favorite story or a moment from this year’s run, something maybe that captured the true spirit of the day, what stood out to you? 

Santa Joe: Oh gosh, I’m trying to. Well, I have my grand, my granddaughter’s been riding with me. I have a sidecar on my motorcycle, so she’s uh, 13 and she’s been doing this for quite a while and just the fact that she loves doing this and it’s a family event. My son is involved with it too. And we just have, it’s just good, warm feeling that every year we can get all these people together and I just love the camaraderie of it. 

Christin Thieme: Yeah. When you see all of those toys being collected for The Salvation Army knowing that they’re going to go to people in your community, what goes through your mind? 

Santa Joe: Uh, it’s all warm and fuzzy. really. I’ve been involved when the families do pick up their toys. I’ve done that a couple of times and it’s just seeing that we can help these people out, and I believe this last time there was over 550 families that are going to be able to have toys for their kids, which I believe is somewhere probably around 11, 1,200 kids. They’re going to have toys this year. 

Christin Thieme: Incredible. It has to be amazing to know that every motorcycle in that parade represents a child who will wake up to a gift on Christmas morning. That has to be a great feeling. 

Santa Joe: Yes, we collect money too. And the people are very generous and um, I’m so grateful for this community that supports this event year after year. 

Christin Thieme: Absolutely. Why do you think this event resonates so deeply with both the biker community and with Olympia as a whole? 

Santa Joe: I uh, that’s a hard question. I think it’s just the fact that this event started with about 2,025 bikes in the early years, and now we’re getting 1,000s of bikes that are showing up to this event, and then there’s also the community itself that doesn’t ride that still supports this event. So, the fact that this event has been going on for 48 years, I think, is a real feather in the cap to the motorcycle in the community as, as a whole. 

Christin Thieme: Absolutely. If you could sum up the Olympia toy run in one phrase, what would it be? 

Santa Joe: I believe uh, in quotations, it’s all about the kids. That’s why we do it. 

Christin Thieme: I love it. Well, Santa Joe, thank you so much for what you do, how you’ve started this event and carried it on for so many years and for everything that you’re doing for the community. Thank you. 

Santa Joe: Absolutely. I love it. I wish you a Merry Christmas. 

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Christin Thieme: The Olympia Toy Run is proof that generosity has no limits and no single look. Whether it’s a biker handing over a brand-new toy, or a family picking it up at The Salvation Army, every moment is part of the same story—a story of joyful giving that transforms lives.

As Captain Mott shared, each toy represents hope for a child. And as Santa Joe reminds us, the ride isn’t about the bikes or even the gifts—it’s about the smiles those gifts bring.

So wherever you are this Christmas, may their example inspire you to find your own way to give with joy.

Because sometimes, the loudest joy comes from the most unexpected places.

Additional resources:

• Join us in giving joy to families who are experiencing poverty, hunger, job loss and more. Your generosity offers joyful reassurance that even during our most challenging times, we are not alone. 
• Make Advent meaningful with a simple paper chain countdown focused on love received and love given. Sign up for the free download.
• If you are enjoying this show and want to support it, leave a rating and review wherever you listen to help new listeners hit play for the first time with more confidence.  

Listen and subscribe to The Do Gooders Podcast now.