Greg and Carla Jenkins are a little overwhelmed by the success of their first effort to help feed homeless people in the Illawarra.
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Mr Jenkins and Sharon Parkes run Riders Against Discrimination but in January Mrs Jenkins saw a need and decided to launch an initiative called Loud Pipes and Big Hearts.
“I saw there was a problem and decided to do something about it. Loud Pipes and Big Hearts is the biker community giving back to the needy by doing charity work,” she said.
“I thought lets get together and show the community that bikers are good, honest, caring, giving people who just want to help”.
Mrs Jenkins asked fellow bikers to make donations for the couple to hand out to the homeless mid winter.
But that may become more regular after what happened on Friday when they gave away jackets, blankets, tents, sleeping bags and personal care packs near Wollongong Railway Station.
As a result they have teamed up with the Swag Family charity and will be back doing it again nearby this coming Friday.
Word has spread so far that as Mr and Mrs Jenkins were handing items out to the needy other people kept arriving with more blankets, jumpers, sleeping bags and food vouchers.
While the couple managed to give away more than 40 care packs, 150 cooked sausages as well as cakes and fresh fruit to people in need. They still ended up with almost as much as when they started .
Mrs Jenkins said the biking community was just so generous and always willing to dig deep to help others.
Many did that by volunteering to walk around Wollongong spreading the word so it reached as many homeless people as possible.
During Friday night’s event Mrs Jenkins bumped into the people who run the Swag Family. As a result this Friday night from 5pm the two charity initiatives supporting the homeless are teaming team up to help more people.
Swag Family will supply food and Mr and Mrs Jenkins will hand out bedding, clothing and personal care packs. That will take place on the top of the car park near Wollongong Railway Station.
Mrs Jenkins said her idea had gone better and helped more people than she could had imaged possible when the idea was born in January.
And while ever the need is there she, her husband and fellow motorcyclists are motivated to do more.
Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
