MARBLEHEAD — A group of Santas went on a paddling voyage in Marblehead Harbor, and raised more than $1,100 for a local food pantry.
“We felt that there is no better time than now to spread awareness for the food pantry because of the good work that it does, the population it serves, the stress that we all felt from the pandemic and (the) importance of supporting things like this during the holiday period,” said Bill Kane, one of the Santas.
To raise awareness and money for Marblehead Food Pantry, Kane and his friends held a Santa Paddle event in the harbor last Saturday. Dressed for the occasion, 12 Santas and one elf launched their paddle boards and one kayak into the water at 11 a.m., from the Pleon Yacht Club ramp.
The group did a slow, half-hour long paddle around the perimeter of the harbor. They were surprised at how many people came out to see the event from the shore.
People were taking pictures and cheering on the Santas, and the paddlers greeted them with a collective “Ho, ho, ho!” said Kane.
The Santas were accompanied by a local professional photographer, Bruce Durkee, who took photos of them on the water at the start of the event. The group stopped by the Landing Restaurant for some refreshments, where they were greeted by friends and family, before paddling back to the Pleon ramp.
An anonymous Santa paid for food and drinks, and the restaurant provided a room and staff for the event. The Landing also donated to the fundraiser.
“The Landing Restaurant had a lot to do with it,” said Kane. “They were really generous.”
The idea of this charity event was born in the middle of Lynn Woods, Kane said. All of the participants are members of a mountain-biking group, which formed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is made up of Marblehead residents of various professions and backgrounds. The group used to meet in Lynn Woods three times a week. Now, they bike together every Sunday at 7 a.m.
A few biking friends would occasionally go paddle boarding around the neck, Kane said, so they knew it was possible to do the Santa Paddle. To be safe, all of the Santas wore personal flotation devices underneath their character costumes.
“It made us look like Santas and added some more bulk,” Kane said.
The group raised more than $1,100, and four bags of food for the food pantry through the paddle event, and continue to solicit donations on social media with Durkee’s photographs. The Santas (and the elf) are hoping to continue this annual tradition, Kane said.
