The Ranch H-D 33rd Toy Run

Join us to help Harley Santa deliver presents to this years’ toy run families across the Bryan-College Station area! Santa & Mrs. Claus will be leading the way on a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, along with our toy run volunteers, our major sponsors' vehicles (D&D Moving & Storage, Ashley Furniture and Sleep Station), numerous Police escorts, and hundreds of motorcycles!                                                 

The 33rd Annual Toy Run is Saturday, December 4th, here at The Ranch Harley-Davidson in College Station! We will open at 8am with free coffee and donuts! The safety meeting will be at 8:45am and KSU will be at 9am SHARP! 

If you’re unfamiliar with what exactly we do, and you would like to learn more, find out how you can help, and/or what you need to know to participate in the ride on Saturday, email alex@theranchhd.com

The Toy Run Foundation began in 1988 when Russ & Sharon Welch (previous Harley-Davidson dealer in town) wanted nothing more than to help needy families during the Holidays. Over the years, it’s blossomed into what it is today with the growing support from our local community and our very generous sponsors! 

Each year, our Foundation partners up with local schools, churches, and social organizations to receive nominations of families (we don’t accept nominations from individuals). We focus on those that might be a struggling veteran/single-parent household, they might have gone through a traumatic event recently, families with disabled children, and families that are just down on their luck. Once all nominations turned in, our extremely thorough interviewing process begins. It includes an initial phone interview, an in-home interview, and a final committee selection meeting that ensures we choose the right families. After receiving roughly 70 nominations each year, we select between 12 and 15! This is how the name of our foundation is slightly misleading. Toys are a very small piece to the puzzle. Typically, our families that are selected lack basic necessities such as beds, blankets, clothing, and furniture, so we are able to provide major items that’ll help them back on their feet. We don’t accept clothes and/or toy donations simply because we choose different families each year that will have different needs. (For those who aren’t sure how to help, monetary support is the best way! Absolutely 100% of the money raised is used to buy the children in each family their needs, and of course some toys from Santa! No electronics!)) We have major sponsors, Ashley HomeStore donates all of the furniture needed (bunk beds, dressers, couches, kitchen tables, desks, etc.) and The Sleep Station BCS donates the mattresses, box springs, and frames. Another sponsor, Ruffino Meats & Food Service, donates turkeys! Our committee shops for each family, wraps each gift individually, and we finally load the gifts in the D & D Moving & Storage Inc. (major sponsor) truck the day before. If you’ve noticed the donation request of lightly used stuffed animals throughout the year, those will be used to hand out to the neighborhood children that will gather around to see Santa! On Toy Run day, we will ride motorcycles to each home and hand-deliver each gift with the help of those who join us!

How can you get involved?? 

One of the best things about this event is how the entire community comes together, no matter our differences. So even if you don't ride a motorcycle, etc., we still want you involved! There are practically endless opportunities to donate to our Foundation! 

-Monetary Support is the biggest benefit! Again, 100% of the money we raise, goes straight to the selected family’s needs each year. 

-In-Kind Donations! We have numerous local business, like Ashley Furniture, Sleep Station, and D&D Moving, to name a few, that we partner with that provides in-kind support. If any local business has a good and/or service that could be beneficial to the families we have each year, we would love to partner up! 

-Silent & Live Auction items! We have two large auction events each year to help raise money. If you or someone you know, has anything you’d like to donate to our auction, we accept them all year! (handmade items & gift cards always do well!)

-Setting up a collection drive at a business! Such as a money collection box, stuffed animals, canned foods, etc. We can provide all the necessary supplies to get started, all you have to do is let people know!

-Suggestions and ideas are ALWAYS accepted! Do you have an idea? Let us know!

***What you NEED to know for the DAY OF Toy Run***

-This is a motorcycle ONLY ride. No cars will be permitted, out of the safety of our escorting Police Officers & the riders (see info below our bus for non-riders) BUT, we welcome everyone to come out to watch us leave and join us when we get back, for our after party.

-There is no cost to ride with us and you don't need to bring anything but your Christmas cheer! You are more than welcome to dress up as elves or decorate your bike! Be creative and remember, it's all about the kids!

-ALL Motorcycles & Riders are ALWAYS allowed at The Ranch Harley-Davidson!

-The Ranch will open at 8am with free coffee & donuts. We ask that you get here as early as possible, so we are able to safety and efficiently get all motorcycles staged. 

***IF YOUR GROUP OR CLUB IS PLANNING TO RIDE TOGETHER, WE NEED EVERYONE TO ARRIVE TOGETHER. We won’t have the space to make the room or save a spot, so we’re asking clubs, groups, friends, to meet somewhere beforehand and ride to The Ranch together. If you don’t come in together, we can't guarantee you'll ride with your group or club***

-Please be here NO LATER than 8:45am so you have time to sign the waiver and you attend the safety briefing and game plan for the day! 

-KSU at 9am sharp!

Please email alex@theranchhd.com for all things Toy Run! 

Sponsors:

The Sleep Station BCS

Ashley HomeStore

D & D Moving & Storage Inc.