Toy drive fosters giving

MOSES LAKE — The Unchained Brotherhood Motorcycle Club walked up and down Stratford Road handing candy canes to motorists and collecting cash donations for the group’s annual toy drive Saturday.

As car horns honked in support of club members and their families, people lined up in Penhallurick’s parking lot in Moses Lake to have their pictures taken with Santa.

One woman even arrived at the event with a trunk full of toys, said Unchained Brotherhood chapter President Tony Hofstetter.

And a doctor and his wife arrive every year to see Santa for a photo.

A second toy drive is planned for Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Penhallurick’s, Hofstetter said.

The drive is held to help kids in the community who are less fortunate, he noted.

All proceeds stay in Grant County and the toys are handed out at the Moses Lake Food Bank from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 20, Hofstetter said.

Last year, about $10,000 worth of toys was donated, which was the first year there were toys left over, he added.

The club handed out the extra toys to kids in Blacks Addition and near the former Larson Air Force Base, he said.

“It was a good thing to see the smiles on the kids’ faces,” Hofstetter recalled.

And this year, the club hopes to raise $12,000.

“With the economy how it is and people hurting for jobs, it’s very, very necessary,” said club member Gabe Adame.

Adame spoke about the outpouring of support for the club’s efforts.

He said he recently got a phone call from a boy named Tommy at Ephrata Middle School who said students were collecting toys for the drive.

People also donated coffee and camera film for the day, Adame said.

“It’s really a community event,” he said.

Adame said he’s seen a lot of kids giving, noting the appearance of a little hand stretched out from a car window holding dollars and quarters.

Jennifer Pugh said she volunteers at the food bank and watched families sign up to receive toys for their kids.

Families seem like they’re really happy the help is available, she said.

Cassidy Nelson, 8, said she’s volunteering her time because she wants to help the kids who don’t have anything.

Members of the Christian Motorcyclists Association from Moses Lake and the Tri-Cities also helped with the event.

Michael McKnight, a member of the Tri-Cities CMA chapter “Cycles for Christ,” was collecting money from motorists.

“The bike is the bait,” he explained in part. “People in America like bikes. We have an opportunity to share their burdens.”