'Toy Run' will benefit pantry
The motorcycles will assemble at Days Inn before roaring through downtown Butler and on into Harmony.
Each will be carrying an unusual cargo in the form of dolls, trucks and board games.
The 35th annual ABATE “Toy Run” will begin at 2 p.m. Sept. 12.
Proceeds from the run, as well as the toys, will benefit the Portersville Food Pantry.
Riders will wind their way through Butler County to the Harmony Moose Lodge, where they will deposit the toys under a Christmas tree and enjoy a slate of activities including a spaghetti dinner and auctions.
Patti Ireland, secretary/treasurer of the food pantry, said the run and dinner are the organization’s main fundraisers. The toys collected will be passed out in December to the children of the families who come to the pantry.
The dinner is by donation and open to the public, Ireland said.
ABATE, Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education, has been sponsoring the Portersville Food Pantry with its run for nine years.
While other organizations that have benefitted from the run have taken administrative costs from the proceeds, that’s not so with the food pantry, said Eric Mershimer, president of the Butler County chapter of ABATE.
“There are no administration costs,” Mershimer said. “Every single penny we give to them goes where we want it to go, the families and kids that need it.”
The food pantry, which is housed in the basement of the Portersville/Muddy Creek fire department, began in 1992.
Now, volunteers pack boxes of food for 60 to 85 families a month, according to Ireland. The boxes include canned goods, paper products and even dog and cat food, if needed.
Ireland said, while the pantry is focused on feeding the families, volunteers are available to give a hug or to fulfill a request for prayers.
“People don’t want to come, but it’s necessary,” she said. “We try to make them feel at home. There’s no judgment.”
The toys at Christmas go to families who are part of the pantry’s adopt-a-child program.
Ireland said the pantry is Christ-centered and sponsored by four churches in the Muddy Creek/Portersville area.
“They do help us financially,” she said. “We are so appreciative of (their help).”
ABATE focuses on the education and rights of motorcyclists and does four “runs” a year for different organizations, Mershimer said.
The Toy Run is open to public with an entry fee of $20 a person and a toy. More information about the event is available on ABATE’s website at butlercountyabate.com.
