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Community Corner

Harley Riders Begin Holiday Season With Food Drive

The Ladies of Harley and the Golden Gate Harley Owners took to the streets in order to bring much needed food donations to Samaritan House.

With the spirit of giving and the rumble of the road, the Ladies of Harley and the Golden Gate Harley Owners Group started this year’s charitable season Saturday with a food drive that helped feed more than 600 individuals and families.

In partnership with Samaritan House, approximately two dozen Harley riders escorted a truck filled with four bins of food to assist families in need.

The Ladies of Harley and the Golden Gate Harley Owners Group started their group ride at the dealer in South San Francisco and ended at College Park Elementary School in San Mateo.

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“When you actually see what a blessing it is for people, you want to give more,” said Dominique Sugarbroad of Ladies of Harley. “To me it is very, very fulfilling and would feed me for the next few years.”

The Ladies of Harley have been collecting food since October via collection bins at Dudley Perkins Company Harley-Davidson as part of an annual tradition that has continued for nearly 20 years.

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“We decided where we wanted to put our efforts,” said former Ladies of Harley officer Karen Garcia, who established the group's first food drive. “I’m glad that other people still have the same desire.”

As the women and men saddled up their Harleys for the drive, they spoke of the privilege of generosity.

“I know how critical it can be for some of these people,” said Karen Schacht, a Ladies of Harley officer.

Schacht has deep empathy for low-income families, for it was not too long ago that a helpful hand from allowed her to get back on her feet.

“I’ve also been on the receiving end at some point,” Schacht said. “And that really made me feel like someone cared.”

The poor economy has left families and individuals vulnerable, Schacht said, and many are in fear that they cannot manage bills by the end of the month.

“We know this is just a drop in the bucket,” Schacht said.

But the gesture of support given to Schacht helped her manage to find employment and placed her in a position to give back.

The riders arrived at College Park Elementary to a line of families and individuals waiting to receive groceries that reached down the block.

Samaritan House Executive Director Kitty Lopez said the numbers from Saturday morning’s food drive were higher than years before.

“I think what the recession is showing us is that hard times can fall on anybody,” she said.

According to Lopez, the Samaritan house is seeing more and more people who used to have a stable income now turning to Samaritan House in financial hardship.

“There are people in this line that you might not expect,” Lopez said.

Hundreds of people brought shopping carts and grocery bags to fill up with mostly non-perishable goods that were handed out by Samaritan House volunteers.

“We couldn’t do our work without volunteers,” Lopez said.

During the holiday season, there is an influx of volunteers and donations to Samaritan House, which allows them to serve 137,000 meals each year.

“The staff and volunteers work tirelessly in this time,” Lopez said.

Lopez said she always invites volunteers in order to create a driving force of charity, generosity and compassion in the community.

Food bins are scattered throughout the county ready to accept donations for those in need, including one at Dudley Perkins Company Harley-Davidson in South San Francisco.

For more information on how you can provide a helping hand this holiday season, contact the Samaritan House at (650) 341-4081.

“It’s wonderful that we can help people out in the community,” Lopez said. “And everyone helps out in those efforts.”

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