The North Shore Ruff Ryders are throwing a party on Saturday and the only way you’re getting in for free is with a Christmas toy.
For the fourth year in a row, the local biker crew is hosting a Christmas donation party for
Item Santa, equipped with a holiday pajama theme. Anyone can walk into Lupita’s Sports Bar & Grill for free if you have a toy to donate, or you can pay $10 for a ticket, according to Stacie Miller, Public Relations Officer for North Shore Ruff Ryders.
All the proceeds and donations go toward holiday gifts for North Shore children, a mission Item Santa has accomplished for 52 years. The party starts at 9 p.m. and ends at 12:30 a.m.
“I grew up in Lynn my whole life and I know a lot of people who needed help during Christmas time and I just wanted to find a way to give back,” said Miller. “My grandmother was a part of Salvation Army when I was little and they were very good for her.”
Miller and Mark Tempesta, the group’s president, have kept the Christmas party an annual tradition, and it tends to grow bigger each year. The biker crew, all natives of the North Shore, believe it is important to give back, especially when it benefits their community.
“We are a lifestyle and we love giving back to community and we want to be there when people need help,” said Miller. “The first year we did it, we had three truckfuls of toys and I remember the people at Salvation Army coming out so excited and in tears and it was just the best feeling.”
The first year of the event, only 50 people attended. By last year, more than 100 community members wanted to join in on the holiday fun and the crew was able to donate $4,000 worth of toys to Item Santa, said Miller.
After the party, when all the money and donated toys are collected, the 16 members of the local Ruff Ryders go bargain hunting for children’s gifts.
“It’s so much fun going to all the stores,” said Miller. “Yeah, we’re all adults, but we get to act like kids and try everything out.”
Tempesta said anyone interested in attending the party should be prepared to dance and have fun. There will be a DJ, several raffles, and even some baked goods. One raffle prize Tempesta said he already knows of is for a pair of Bruins tickets.
“If we aren’t doing something good, then why do it at all,” said Tempesta. “It helps some families out and every family at some point in time has struggled. To do something like this, it doesn’t cost us anything and everything we raise, we donate and it gives us a good feeling.”
To donate, clip the coupon in The Item and mail it, along with your check, to The Item Salvation Army Santa, PO Box 5, Lynn, MA 01903. For online donations, please go to www.itemsanta.org.
All donations are listed in Item print editions through the month of December and into 2019, along with a brief message from each donor, if desired.
Those interested in signing up to collect at Santa Island or any business willing to sell stockings should contact David Solimine Sr. or Joel Solimine at 781-595-1492.
