On Sept. 3, the streets of Falcon came alive, once again, with the sound of motorcycle engines, as the American Legions Riders conducted another community service project. This time, they rode in support of High Plains Helping Hands food pantry. American Legion Rider and 21-year U.S. Air Force veteran, Mike Watkins, organized the fourth annual Stock the Pantry Poker Run. ìThe organizations who participated in this yearís Poker Run were members of American Legion Post 2008, American Legion Post 2008 Auxiliary, American Legion Riders; riders from American Legion Posts 5, 38, 180, and 209; the Combat Veterans Association and the Blue Knights motorcycle clubs,î Watkins said.The ride participants gathered at Frankieís Too restaurant on McLaughlin Road. The registration tent outside offered chances to win a Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 380 pistol in a raffle draw and a multitude of donated items for auction were on display inside the restaurant. Frankieís Too owner, Frank Patton, said, ìWe love being a part of great community service events. Weíre a big supporter of our active duty military and veterans. Itís great to be a neighborhood hangout for fundraisers that help our Falcon family.îThere were 120 people registered for the ride; all proceeds from the registration, raffle and auctioned items were donated to High Plains Helping Hands. Watkins wife, Arlene, helped organize and collect plenty of items for the raffle through the generous support of the Falcon community.The annual event raised $4,365 in monetary donations, topping last yearís total by $1,200. So far, 650 pounds of non-perishable food had been collected. Ten bins had been distributed throughout the community where donation/collection efforts would continue through Sept. 30.Dianna Frazier, manager and volunteer coordinator for High Plains Helping Hands, was on hand to help with registration. ìWe help feed local families with 20,000 pounds of food every month,î Frazier said. ìOn average, we are seeing 26 new families each month, as more people move to the Falcon area. Our need to assist all of the new families will continue to grow.î Frazier said they are grateful to the American Legion Riders and the Falcon community. ìSomeone only has to comment on Facebook that we are in need to stock our shelves, and weíll have immediate responses of food donations,î she said.Ave Maria Romine, a seven-year High Plains Helping Hands volunteer, said, ìThe American Legion Riders are a great group of people. They have such a heart for those in need. We just love them!îìThe Boys Scouts are a big help in April, and the community is very generous around the holidays,î Frazier said. ìItís hard to sustain our current intake level of new families. Honestly, we have a need for donations all year long.îHigh Plains Helping Hands is located at 7375 Adventure Way. The phone number is 719-495-3123. Financial donations can be made through the website at http://hphh.org.
