Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Bikers’ pickled fish drive feeds the poor
Good Friday cause helps 2 000 in communities
MORE than 20 city motorcycle clubs revved their bikes for a donation run to deliver pickled fish to poor communities on Good Friday.
Organiser Keith Blake founded the annual pickled fish run six years ago.
“Pickled fish is expensive. We pay R50 for every 700g and obviously we get donations. But I was tired of seeing poor people not being able to fully celebrate Good Friday as they could not afford pickled fish.”
He vowed in 2013 to give pickled fish to poor communities around Cape Town. With the help of his biker sons, Blake was able to attract several motorbike clubs.
“To play it safe, I’d say we fed no fewer than 2 000 poor people today. I’ve made it a challenge to myself that I would not eat pickled fish ever again until a large number of poor people have had pickled fish. (Yesterday) was hectic and the queues were very long,” Blake added.
He said this gesture also showed communities that motorbike clubs are often misunderstood. “One of the bikers came to my house afterwards, hugged all of us and then cried. He said to me: ‘This means a lot to us and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.’”
Logi Jacobs, president of the Cobalt Broncs patch, said the holiday provided the perfect time to give to the poor.
“Today is quite a special day. All bikers came out in these wet conditions to hand out food to the disadvantaged people,” he said.
The bikers handed out pickled fish, cool drinks, hot cross buns and loaves of bread.
The convoy made stops in Ottery, Lotus River, Hanover Park, Wetton, Freedom Park and Parkwood. Some of the patches in the long convoy were Saints & Sinners and Strawdogs MC.
Bernard Lehmann, road captain of the Saints & Sinners patch, said: “It’s good to see the whole biking community out here today looking out for communities.”
He added clubs usually had fund-raisers where they came together to make donations to the charity of the hosting patch’s choice.
Lehmann said the clubs’ spirit of giving was a long-standing culture.
Freedom Park community leader Dan Buggs said: “We are truly grateful that people still care for Freedom Park. We are a very poor community, so when the bikers told us they were coming the community was pleased,” Buggs said.