FORT KNOX, Kentucky -- The Reserve Marines of Echo Company, 4th Tank Battalion conducted their 22nd Annual Hardin County Bike Ride for Toys for Tots Sunday in Elizabethtown.
"We'll provide anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 kids in Hardin County and some of the surrounding counties with a Christmas present this year," Sgt. Joshua McCario, chief mechanic for the Marine detachment said. "[These bikers] are our primary means of raising money and getting toys to Hardin County kids.
"Our local motorcycle clubs and chapters are the motivating force in getting donations and helping these children -- every biker brings at least one [toy.]"
While the Marines have led Toys for Tots since 1946, the program is still relatively young here. As far as McCario has ever heard it's always been Marine led and biker-driven.
"Toys for Tots is a Marine Corps program. We volunteer for it and love doing it," McCario said. "We get a lot support from our local bike clubs in this community. They take it on themselves, and they've made this their thing."
And McCario said that the children are the common bond between these Marines and these bikers from different military branches of service and all walks of civilian life.
"We are all about helping people --whether it be in a forward deployed area or right here helping children at home," McCario said. "We have donation [collection] boxes at many different locations, but the bikers show up for this program. They are the biggest donors - they make my life a lot easier."
McCario said Toys for Tots affects more than just Hardin County, and that the bikers will be there too.
"A lot of these clubs do the same thing in the other counties," he said. "This is one of the last opportunities of the year for these bikers to ride and [most] do multiple rides. We're lucky to have a nice day like today to ride in. Last year they did this when it was 25 degrees outside."
Volunteers said it is something about the Marines and their program that keeps them coming back year after year.
"I started doing this in 1993. I don't really remember how I got started," local business owner, Tonia Freeman said. "So many people know that I've worked with them for a long time. People call me up -- 'here are [the families in need]' and we help.
"I really enjoy working with the Marines. They're such an outstanding group of men. Not only do they serve the country, but they serve the community they're in."
Social Sharing