Tampa-to-Brandon motorcycle run helps raise donations for Toys for Tots

By Stephanie Wang, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Monday, November 29, 2010

As the second Tampa Bay Area Marine Corps Toys for Tots Toy Run and Collection Drive winds down for the day, Lisbeth Marquet, left, grabs Carrie Yoakum, a fellow member of the Latin American Motorcycle Association’s Brandon chapter, for a celebratory dance as Regina Doherty, right, dances along.

[SCOTT MCINTYRE | Times]

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BRANDON — The ride cost one new toy, and hundreds of motorcyclists piled their bikes high for Sunday's Toys for Tots fundraiser.

About 1,000 toys were donated at the second annual motorcycle toy run and collection drive to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program, said event organizer John Renda.

The motorcyclists rode from the Toys for Tots warehouse on Gandy Boulevard in Tampa to the AMVETS Post 44 in Brandon, escorted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

At the AMVETS post, the riders continued the toy collection and held an auction and raffle.

With about 100 more participants this year, the toy drive raised twice as much as it did in its inaugural run, said Renda, commander of Post 44's Sons of AMVETS.

One person drove up in a convertible filled with stuffed animals for Toys for Tots, he said.

About 11,000 children in Hillsborough County have registered for Toys for Tots this holiday, Renda said. They'll each receive four to six new toys.

To donate, drop off new, unwrapped toys in a Toys for Tots collection box at any local Publix. And on Saturday, letter carriers will collect toys left in mailboxes for Toys for Tots.

[Last modified: Dec 01, 2010 11:48 AM]