Cold might have its grip on the nation but it won't keep thousands of bikers at home as long as there is an opportunity to help underprivileged children this Christmas.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a motorcycle ride or rally that doesn't benefit a children's charity this time of year. Toys for Tots is a popular beneficiary and many others across the country depend on the generosity of thousands of bikers who show up with cash donations and toys for families and children who can't afford to celebrate Christmas. In fact, Christmas-themed rides began more than a month ago as we featured a 30th annual Toy Run in Delaware, a Teddy Bear Run locally to MotoSport, a big Toys for Tots ride for Camp Pendleton and last week Bakersfield roared to life with an expected 6,000 riders helping out the Salvation Army of Kern County in California.
If you plan to ride in a toy-raising ride in the coming weeks let us know and we'll include the details in a future post. In the meantime, check below to see if any of the rides we found take off in your area.
Toy Runs Scheduled for This Weekend:
Iron Riderz Christmas for the Kidz December 14: The inaugural Iron Riderz Christmas for the Kidz benefits children at Wesley Medical Center. A new unwrapped toy or cash donation of $20 is the entry fee. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. and kickstands up at 10 a.m. Saturday at Alefs Harley-Davidson, 5427 Chuzy Dr. in Wichita, KS.
Red Sleigh Toy Run December 14: The 6th annual Red Sleigh Toy Run benefits families in the metro Tucson area. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the ride starts at 9 a.m. Saturday at Big John's Garage, 4156 E. Grant Road in Tucson, AZ.
Big Texas Toy Run December 14: The 28th annual Big Texas Toy Run has two starting locations and registration for both begins at 9 a.m. and kickstands up at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The toy run benefits the Mental Health-Mental Retardation of Tarrant County, Metro Services and other children's charities in the Dallas, TX metro area.
Nevada County Food & Toy Run December 14: This ride started in 1991 and gets more than 1000 motorcyclists to help bring food and toys to underprivileged families of Nevada City and Grass Valley communities of California. Registration is from 9 to 11:45 a.m. and kickstands up at 12 p.m. Saturday at Eric W. Rood Administration Center, 950 Maidu Ave. in Nevada City, CA.
Nazareth Children's Home Christmas Toy Run December 14: Children with the Nazareth Children's Home benefit from this ride and participants can choose a gift from wish lists posted online. Meet at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday at Speedway Harley Davidson, 10049 Weddington Road in Concord, NC.
Save Christmas Ride December 15: United Bikers of Northern California host the Save Christmas Ride which benefits a transitional housing program for women. Meet at 11 a.m. Sunday at K-Mart, 2685 Hilltop Dr. in Redding, CA. Kickstands up at 12:30 p.m.
Bikers for Kids December 15: The Midshore ABATE chapter of Maryland hosts this annual ride for kids. Meet between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the American Legion Post 70, 29511 Canvasback Dr. in Easton, MD.
Bill Bikes Toy Run December 15: The 31s annual Bill Bikes Toy Run benefits Toys for Tots in Palm Beach County. Registration is $10 or new toy. Staging begins at 10 a.m. Sunday at the South Florida Fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Blvd. in West Palm Beach, FL.
DFW Toys for Tots Motorcycle Run December 15: This ride is rescheduled from a November date as a result of bad weather. Online registration is available through December 12 or at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday at Freedom Powersports McKinney, 2110 N. Central Expwy. Ste. 100 in McKinney, TX. Ride begins at 1:30 p.m.