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The Harlan Chapter of the Southern Brothers Motorcycle Club brought their yearly Christmas Toy Drive to boys and girls in Harlan County on Sunday, Dec. 22. Toys were distributed to boys and girls up and down KY 38, complete with the participation of ol’ Saint Nick himself.
Jaysin Stallard, Treasurer for the Harlan Chapter of Southern Brothers Motorcycle Club, talked about this year’s event during an recent interview.
“We set up at Eastbrook with a whole full trailer filled with toys,” Stallard said. “We had around 600 gifts, maybe a little more this year, including some nice bikes, some electronic 4 wheelers, a bunch of scooters, etc.”
Stallard explained the gifts are all donated.
“Some are new, some are used, but we do the best we can,” Stallard said.
Stallard noted all the toys are cleaned before being distributed.
“We always make sure we have the toys wrapped, and we make sure we have Santa Claus for the kids to be able to take a picture with if they choose,” Stallard said. “We try to give each kid at least two to three gifts, it just depends on how many kids and how many gifts are available.”
While the exact number of children who took part is unknown, all the gifts were distributed. Stallard explained they make sure the child is present to prevent anyone from hoarding gifts. He added they do not want to run out of gifts before all the children that were present received one.
“We do this for the kids, not the parents,” Stallard said.
After Eastbrook, the festivities moved to the Verda Quick Stop and then to the Dairy Hut in Evarts.
“We try to hit KY 38 because the Mountain Santa folks don’t come this way,” Stallard said. “Evarts also does it, but they stick in the city limits. That’s why we did most of what we did down the road.”
The Southern Brothers collect donated gifts throughout the year.
“Anytime somebody has a child that has outgrown their toys, instead of throwing those toys away we ask they just bring them to my shop,” Stallard said. “They can bring them anytime through the year. The only way this thing gets done is through donations.”
It is requested the toys be cleaned before being donated.
The Southern Brothers Motorcycle Club, Harlan Chapter, also holds events throughout the year including a bike and car show. Proceeds from the events are used to fund the group’s charitable activities.
“We’re a bunch of motorcycle enthusiasts who are out to have a good time, but not cause any trouble,” Stallard said. “We want to give back to the community. We do our pizza part for the elderly, we donate sums of money throughout the year to the Boys and Girls Club, we try our best to make sure we give a lot back to the children and the elderly in our county.”
Donations for next year’s toy drive can be dropped off at Slingin’ Ink in downtown Evarts.