Psycho Santa toy run benefits kids at Eliada Home

Escorted by Asheville Police, the Dec. 17 procession ran for blocks down Patton Avenue. The riders were in and on vehicles ranging in size from a scooter, through a SmartCar, pickup trucks and a luxury coach. Santa in leather waved from the back of a pickup which pulled a 24-foot trailer filled with toys collected at the shop and by the motorcycle club. Board games, bicycles, dolls, cars, trucks and stuffed animals filled the back of the trailer. A wad of cash from other contributors was in the pocket of Daron James, owner of Diamond Thieves.

As the convoy drove up the Eliada driveway, kids looked out windows, waiting to see the toys. A group of kids outside the dining hall and gym building jumped up and down with excitement at the sight of santa and the motorcycles. One, sporting a Santa hat, let out loud whoops of joy.

Making a human chain to pass the toys from the trailer to the gym, volunteers passed toys from hand to hand up the sidewalk. The pile in the gym grew as the trailer emptied. “I think we passed our goal of $10,000,” James said. “This is great. I think I must have some dust in my eye … or something.”

Click here for a slideshow of the event.

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