NEVADA: Local Motorcycle Clubs Give Back to Community

OFF THE WIRE
The 31st annual Reno Toy Run is still about four weeks away, but that didn't stop a federation of motorcycle clubs from lending a helping hand right now.
The 38 different clubs in the federation donated a total of $6,000 to six local charities in the area Thursday. Club members and representatives from the charities say this means a lot, especially around the holiday season.
"It's just a good thing," says Troy Regas, organizer for the Reno Toy Run. "Especially for all those charities that don't have anything in a time of need. Like for instance, a bad economy, etc. So, it means a little more than normal."
Rick Eckhardt, another Reno Toy Run organizer, says helping out northern Nevada families has become a tradition.
"All the bikers in this area, they love kids. They want to help, they want to help the community," he says.
So far, they've donated $11,000 to local charities this year. That's in addition to Thursday's donation.
"It's not a ton of money, but $1,000 to some of these charities can do a lot with that," says Eckhardt.
And one of those charities that accepted Thursday's donation was the Children's Cabinet. Niki Patin with the Children's Cabinet says that much money can feed a family for ten weeks.
"One-thousand dollars means that we can keep kids safe and families together well into the future," she says.
Patin has children of her own, and knows how difficult it is to raise them. She says things get worse if parents lose their jobs and can't afford to put food on the table.
"Any kind of help that you can get makes a big difference," she says. "And, so we're all in this together."
The Reno Toy Run kicks off Sunday, December 4th at Chester's Reno Harley-Davidson, and organizers hope to collect more than 8,000 toys this year.
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