A beautiful sunny day on September 17th began with the roar of engines when over 100 motorcycle riders and custom car enthusiasts from the Bay Area refineries gathered at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, to celebrate the success of the 10th Annual Bay Area Refinery Motorcycle Run/Food Drive. They continued their ride through the colorful back roads of Martinez, stopping at each Poker Run Stop before heading to the Shell Clubhouse for an afternoon of food, friends and music. Each refinery began with a food drive, which kicked off August 1st, collecting over 2,185 pounds of food and $22,696 by the time of the celebration. All donations and food collected during the drive from the Refinery Run will benefit the Food Bank.
The motorcyclists and custom car owners were employees and contractors of Bay Area refineries, which included Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery, ConocoPhillips, Shell Oil Products US, and Valero Benicia Refinery as well as their families and friends.
The celebration’s final destination was a barbecue held at the Shell Martinez Refinery Clubhouse where the riders, drivers and passengers were treated to musical entertainment provided by Joe Rose and the Howlers, food by Englund’s Café and Catering, vendors such as Joyce Cid Massage Therapy, Bead For Life and Interstate All Battery Center, raffle prizes, and a special guest appearance by members of the Oakland Raiderettes who helped sell raffle tickets and take photos. Events like this would not be possible without the generous support of the sponsors. Presenting Sponsors included all of the participating refineries; Poker Route Sponsors included RSC, Killer Eye Kandy, and S and S Supplies and Solutions; Contractor Sponsors included Timec, RJ Roberts, Carone & Company Inc., Harder Mechanical, KM Industrial, Starcon, Tanco Engineering, ERM, Certified Coatings Company, Benicia Fabrication and Machine, and Environmental Packaging.
The great thing about the Refinery Run is that companies that are competitors in the market place cooperate with each other in order to feed hungry people.
