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Bikers help those who fall through the cracks Date published: 11/23/2008
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE Dwight Wheatcraft heard the rumbling engines long before 10 motorcycles showed up at his Falmouth mobile home yesterday morning. Wheatcraft, a construction worker struggling in the tough economy, walked out to his small front porch to meet the bikers. They hopped off their bikes and handed Wheatcraft a small frozen turkey and a grocery bag filled with the essentials for a Thanksgiving dinner: canned vegetables, rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie, Cool Whip and cupcakes in holiday shapes. The bikers and a few women riding in trucks to help with the operation stayed to chat for a few minutes, then it was back to the road. They had eight more houses to visit, mostly across Spotsylvania County. In all, the bikers rode about 95 miles in chilly weather, delivering Thanksgiving goodies to families falling through the cracks. When the Motorcycle Outreach Ministry of Salem Fields Community Church conceived the idea of a Thanksgiving charity ride, members immediately decided to focus on those who struggled but couldn't get help in other places. They chose fathers just laid off, families battling cancer, a recent widow and others who faced tough times but didn't qualify for help from social-services agencies and who weren't receiving aid from other churches. "We just want them to know we understand," said Pam Skrodelis, whose husband, Tony, suggested the ride. "We're not out here to thump you over the head with a Bible, we just understand. Everybody riding on these motorcycles has been in the same boat. It's hitting everybody." Pam Skrodelis drove an SUV filled with the bags of groceries and some of the turkeys. Deanna Gonzales-Williams rode shotgun. Her husband, Kevin Wil-liams, an active member of the ministry, died Oct. 30. Others riding had just been laid off or had spouses lose their jobs. But when Tony Skrodelis proposed giving food to the needy, everyone signed up. Ministry members each nominated a family lost in the gap between need and services. And they were asked to donate $20 to buy food.
Date published: 11/23/2008
Nice of these riders to do this
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