Karratha Bikers Association donates toys, vouchers to Karratha Salvation Army with proceeds from toy ride

Thousands of dollars worth of vouchers and gifts have been donated to the Salvation Army from the Karratha Bikers Association’s annual toy ride. The ride, held on July 23, saw riders head from Point Samson Tavern and Wickham OB’s Club to the Dampier Mermaid before finishing at the KBA club house. The vouchers will be given to families in need over Christmas to help buy food. The ride also saw members of the Hedland Riders Association take part and make a donation. KBA president Neil Tollison said while numbers were down this year because of the Roebourne Cup, the club still raised $2000 in vouchers. “We raised enough money to cover the vouchers and there was a great amount of toys and also Kmart chucked in a $100 voucher worth of toys so we’re really happy with the outcome,” he said. Mr Tollison said Fuelfix, Hedland Riders Association and Karratha Tree Loppers all made donations of toys for the ride. “I’d also like to thank the people that came on the run that brought the toys along with them so we can donate them,” he said. Karratha Salvation Army corps officer Major Pam Marshall said the KBA had been supporting the Karratha salvation Army depot for about 30 years. “With that, that’s a long history and an important and valuable one that we appreciate,” she said. “Some of these vouchers will be going to single people and a good majority to families. “I just am so grateful for the support of the Karratha Bikers, the wider community as to how they come alongside and support because the small budget that I have is nowhere near enough to reach the people that we come in contact with that are in need.” She said the vouchers helped vulnerable people in the community at a time when they needed it most. “This is a blessing to us because this is money we didn’t have and this is to fill in some of those gaps that we’re going to fill,” she said.