>>> Vroom: Motorcycle dealer raises $24,000 for food banks

Using the hashtag #fuelthehunger, a motorcycle dealer has raised almost $24,400 for food banks in communities across Canada through its United We Raise campaign. This was the first time the Barnes family, which owns three Harley Davidson dealerships in British Columbia, including one in Victoria, had organized such a fundraiser. After finding out about it, 13 other Harley Davidson franchises across the country joined the campaign, resulting in the donation of the equivalent of 400,000 meals to community food banks. “We wanted to help when we found out food banks were facing a significant increase in demand due to COVID-19,” said Kiran Rancourt, head of marketing for the Barnes family chain of dealerships. “It was pretty exciting to see the dealer and community response.” He said that the hope for this year’s campaign is for support by Harley Davidson Canada, the franchisor for the brand. The Barnes family has been in the automotive business for 36 years, starting with a General Motors dealership in Camrose, Alta. The family got into the motorcycle business in 2003, with its first Harley Davidson franchise in Langley. They purchased the local franchise in 2015 from Steve Drane, who had owned it for 41 years, and bought a franchise in Kamloops the next year.