Ride for Homeless Vets
SAXONBURG — A thunderous roar from hundreds of motorcycles barreled down Main Street at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
The 14th annual Ride for Homeless Vets made stops throughout Butler County as motorcycle enthusiasts gathered to ride for fun and a good cause. Their tour, a poker run where each stop provided another card for participants' hands, took riders from Natrona Heights to Saxonburg, West Sunbury, Sarver and then back to Natrona Heights.
The annual ride raises money for Shepherd's Heart in Pittsburgh, an organization that helps house and care for homeless veterans.
The group raised over $40,000 in past years, and hoped to raise over $50,000 this time around. A dollar amount wasn't available Sunday.
At the Saxonburg's Veterans of Foreign Wars building, a veterans group called Rolling Thunder greeted the riders and gave them their cards for the stop. Fred Menzl, the group's president, said the reason they volunteer is simple.“To help our veterans,” Menzl said. “Everything we do is to help our vets.”Their group in particular spends $5,000 to $10,000 a year providing services to veterans such as rent and grocery bill assistance, according to Joseph Yonek, the Rolling Thunder Chapter 4 board chairman.They're part of the team assembled by Tom Grates of Tarentum, main organizer of the Ride for Homeless Vets.
This year's event had 734 people participating, including both riders and passengers, according to one organizer.Mark and Mary Garrison of Gibsonia rode toward the end of the pack. They said 2019 was their third or fourth year participating.“I love the camaraderie with all the bikers,” Mark said.They made it out again this year despite Mary riding with a broken foot. She sported tennis shoes instead of her usual boots and made the best of it.“I'm a big supporter for any vets,” Mary said. “Homeless vets have my heart.”
