PHOTO BY SCOTT EISEN
From left, David Mover, Fred Kenawy, Anthony Terenzi, Salvation Army Captain Meghan Brunelle, President of the North Shore Ruff Ryders Mark Tempesta and his son Mark, Stacie Miller, Lio Echevarria and Bryant Newson with donated toys from the North Shore Ruff Ryders in the lobby of the Salvation Army in Lynn on Saturday.
By ADAM SWIFT
LYNN — Don’t be fooled by the name. The North Shore Ruff Ryders are anything but rough when it comes to giving during the holidays.
The local motorcycle riding lifestyle group dropped off a trailer full of toys for kids in need at the Salvation Army Saturday on Franklin Street.
For Salvation Army Captain Jeff Brunelle, the donation of games, athletic equipment, stuffed animals and more came at just the right time.
“Especially at this time of year, the donations are particularly important,” said Brunelle. “We’ve already done our main distributions, but as people get their last paycheck before Christmas or get closer to the holidays, they might realize that it has come down to paying the January rent or buying Christmas presents. This is a great way to replenish our supply for those people who come in at the last second so that we don’t have to turn anyone away.”
North Shore Ruff Ryders President Mark Tempesta said his group is more than happy to give back to the community. This is the second year the organization has collected toys for kids in need, and the response grew tremendously this year, he said.
The North Shore Ruff Ryders collected toys and money from raffles during a recent fundraiser at Celley’s Pub on Western Avenue.
“We do it because there are needy families out there, and what better way than to hold an event where you can have a couple drinks and listen to some music,” said Tempesta.
Pub owner Neil Celley played a big part in donating the space for the fundraiser, Tempesta said. And while the North Shore Ruff Ryders’ 16 members donated to the cause, he said they were also fortunate to get donations from a number of Celley’s regulars, and other people from the community who stopped by to drop off donations and money.
“It was at least twice as big as last year,” said North Shore Ruff Ryders Vice President Brian Newsom. “The city of Lynn and the people around here take good care of the kids.”
In addition to the toys donated during the Celley’s event, Tempesta and the other group members went on a shopping spree with the money they collected from raffles.
“A lot of times, the older children’s needs aren’t met, so we wanted to make sure we took care of them,” said Tempesta. “We were getting Nerf guns, footballs, Monopoly games. The adults were going crazy.”
Tempesta said he hopes the North Shore Ruff Ryders are able to hold an even bigger donation event next year.
