TEXARKANA, Texas - A late Saturday morning light rain didn't discourage at least a dozen motorcycle and social clubs from gathering in a parking lot near the public library for the Second Annual Community Feeding Event.
Dozens of these assorted club members set up tents and fired up cooking grills to provide free meals to nearly 200 local needy individuals and families living in the downtown Texarkana area.
"This is our second year to bring this to Texarkana, which we are going to try to do for now on, each year, the week before Christmas," said Patty "Brown Eyez"Dailey, president of the Texarkana area's Unstoppable Queenz Social Club. "Basically, it just started out as an idea about how to best help those in need in this community, especially now, with COVID-19 still around."
Besides the Unstoppable Queenz, other motorcycle and social club contributors to the event included, the Sugar Town Riders, from Prescott, Arkansas; the Two Wheeled Cruisers, from Ashdown, Arkansas; the Exotic Roses Motorcycle Club of Ashdown; the Show Stoppers Social Club; the Triple Bikers Club of Arkansas; the Beautiful Dancing Girls Clique and the Loyal Ladies Social Club (both of the Texarkana area).
Other motorcycle and social club contributors to the event were the Street Heat Motorcycle Club of Stamps, Arkansas and the Natural Born Riders, the African Bandits, and the Santa Bikers Babies - all from the Texarkana area.
Some of the clubs' dinner fixings included assorted barbecue meat main courses, along with green beans and corn servings, as well a potato salads, spaghetti and beans.
Lashandra Hawkins, with the Unstoppable Queenz, said the entire effort is mostly a give-back effort to the community.
"We like to give back to the community, especially now because of the bad situation people are going through, right now, with COVID-19," Hawkins said. "We had about 200 come out to the community feed we had last year."
Two Wheeled Cruiser member Amanda Glenn said she takes comfort in knowing that people from everywhere are being looked out after during times of hardship - especially during the holidays.
"My favorite part about all of this, is just knowing that I have a chance to give back to the community in a time of very serious needs," Glenn said.
Exotic Roses member Shareka Young, agreed.
"I've also had to live and get by on less in my life, so an experience like this helps you have a heart to give and this gives you a nice family-like loving feeling," she said.
As for the future? "We plan to keep on doing this as long as God gives us breath and life," Dailey said.