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Bikers partner with The Salvation Army to ensure local families have a happy Christmas.
More than 100 bikers roared into the parking lot of The Salvation Army Turlock (California) Corps Dec. 14 to deliver thousands of gifts for families needing some extra support at Christmastime.
“If you haven’t seen it, it’s something special,” said Turlock Corps Officer Captain Katie Breazeale. “This is our biggest event of the season.”
The bikers, members of the United Motorcycle Clubs of California’s Central Valley, come together to support local communities through charitable endeavors. This is the sixth consecutive year—including the 2020 pandemic year—they’ve supported the Turlock Salvation Army’s Christmas outreach.
“We’ll be there, rain or shine,” one of the bikers, Jim, told Breazeale before the event, which had a rainy forecast predicted for this year’s event day. “We’re doing it—anything to bless the community.”
As it turned out, the showers stopped just before the Toy Run, and resumed once it was over.
While some might be hesitant to engage with motorcyclists, Breazeale is grateful for their partnership.
“They’re part of the community,” she said. “They want to do good, they really do. And they do so much good. But some people might not realize that.”
“When they sign up, they’re not expecting to get everything on their list. But the motorcycle group does their best to do that.”
Captain Katie Breazeale
Breazeale said each year the motorcycle group adopts 10 to 15 families, fulfilling their wish lists. And they usually deliver around 2,000 extra gifts for children who are signed up for the corps’ Angel Tree program, a Salvation Army holiday tradition that provides new toys and clothing for children in need.
Looking to outdo previous years, this Christmas, bikers delivered 4,000 extra gifts, including 30 bicycles—up from the usual five or six.
Eleven families were selected for adoption this year: nine with single mothers, one with a single dad, and one with a single grandmother raising her grandkids.
Breazeale said she talks with the families to discover all their needs and desires for their wish lists—and she encourages them to not hold back. She said they’ve been known to get everything on their list, including bicycles, microwaves and other small appliances. Last year, the bikers even helped someone with a refrigerator.
“It can be a very emotional time for some of the families because they’re completely shocked,” Breazeale said. “When they sign up, they’re not expecting to get everything on their list. But the motorcycle group does their best to do that.”
Breazeale also tries to ensure the families will be present at the Toy Run to receive their gifts from the bikers. She said it means a lot to the bikers to meet the families they’ve shopped for—it can be emotional for them, too.
“This is amazing,” said Freddy, a single dad who is raising three daughters. “My family is going to be so blessed.”
One of the bikers, Preacher, told Breazeale that they could have helped even more families. She told him she’d try to get 20 families for next year’s toy run.
And if that happens, the corps will have to set up even more tables in its gym to accommodate the families. Breazeale said the day before the event, club members who have adopted families come to the corps with the gifts.
The day of the Toy Run, the families arrive around 11 a.m., about 30 minutes before the bikers. Volunteers help the kids create a holiday craft or a thank-you card for their gifts, and the corps serves everyone lunch. After the meal, the club members who have adopted families enter the gym and stand at their table. The families join them and the bikers present them with the gifts.
“Sometimes the family unwraps them there,” Breazeale said. “But sometimes they say, ‘No, this is literally all we’re going to have. We don’t want to open it now.’”
Breazeale called this year’s Toy Run “such a smooth event,” acknowledging the 15 volunteers who helped make it happen. One of those volunteers got to know Freddy, the single dad who works as a contractor.
‘“Can we bless you again?’” Breazeale heard the volunteer ask him. After learning Freddy needs more tools for his business, the volunteer got his phone number and is helping him secure what he needs to work and support his family—keeping hope alive into the new year.
Do Good:
- It’s because of people like you The Salvation Army can serve more than 24 million Americans in need each year. Your gift helps fight for good all year in your community. It’s an effort to build well-being for all of us, so together we rise—and that good starts with you. Give to spread hope with a donation of funds, goods or time today.
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