Shanna Wells
The Corsair
On a warm spring morning, the sounds of motorcycles of every make and model could be heard roaring through the streets on their way to the Sports Bar of Perdido Key. At 8 a.m. the parking lot was full of bikes and people dressed head to toe in leather waiting for the excitement to begin with muffins and Bloody Marys in hand.
The Sorry Old Bikers were holding their first poker run in hopes of raising awareness and donations for the local Manna Food Pantries of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The poker run consists of a line of bikers, riding alongside each other and stopping from one place to the next in order to gain awareness for a cause and stop for a tasty beverage. The SOBs provided donation boxes at each of the stops for patrons to donate nonperishable food items for Manna.
Robert Davidson, committee member in the group, said, “It was just great to do something that was for the community and only for the community.”
The SOBs are a group of friends that ride their motorcycles out to lunch together once a week. Joe Williams explained that in one of their meetings last October, they came up with the idea to assemble a poker run for a non-profit organization that wasn’t geared towards the military or cancer.
The group started planning the poker run in November. They met once a month until the April 14 ride.
Member Katherine Lowery said, “We all were in agreement that we should do something to give back to our community. What better way than to help the ones in our area that need it the most.”
The group worked tirelessly to get donations from local businesses around the gulf coast to help feed the riders as well as provide raffle prizes and Manna donations.
The poker run consisted of seven stops around the Pensacola area spreading from downtown to Pace, then Navarre to Pensacola Beach and back to Perdido Key. Each rider paid $10 and brought at least one nonperishable item which was all donated to Manna.
Dave Dupruis, a rider on Saturday, said the event was “a great ride, with great friends, for a great cause.”
After the poker run was over and the tallies were counted, the SOBs were able to give 475 pounds of food and over $800 to Manna Food Pantries.
“I think it was the best organized volunteer group I’ve ever seen or been part of,” Williams said.