Ohio Gorillas makes Thanksgiving better

A new area motorcycle club, the Ohio Gorillas, has decided members will now do more than just ride together. The club is dedicated to helping the community too. The group recently completed the distribution of food for Thanksgiving dinners to families in need.

“We put this together quick. About a month ago, we decided to reach out to the schools and try to see if there was a need for Thanksgiving dinners and meals,” Ron McAbier said.

Through donations the group was able to provide a turkey or ham dinner for about 80 families in area school districts.

Instead of their motorcycles, the members loaded up their pickup trucks with the boxed meals, complete with a foil pan to cook the turkey, and delivered them to the schools or individual homes. Some recipients also picked up their food at the group’s clubhouse in New Philadelphia.

Each box contained everything needed for a complete meal, right down to dessert.

“We're just happy to be able to provide at least one meal for a nice holiday,” McAbier said. “We're all used to gathering with family and having (a Thanksgiving meal), and some just don't have the means to do that. It’s a great way for us to give back. We've been blessed in so many ways.”

The group also is grateful to the many donors who stepped up to help them with the project.

About an hour after the trucks left with their deliveries, a few club members had already returned while others were still out delivering.

“The families will pick the dinners up at the school. We did have a couple that came here and picked them up. They thanked us. We told them to enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner,” said Jason Mathis, president of the Ohio Gorillas.

“Everybody was super excited to see us. It was a good turnout, and hopefully, we made more connections. We told them if they need help with anything like that in the future to let us know,” Kenny Lathem said.

“The crucial thing is there are 80 families we helped,” McAbier said.

The group hopes to help more families in the future.

Leftover food was taken to the Friends of the Homeless shelter.

The Ohio Gorillas began meeting in June of this year.

“It's just a bunch of guys that like to meet up, and we'll go somewhere. We'll drive for a while, go eat and then usually drive back — and then typically same thing on the weekend, either a Saturday or Sunday. We try to ride two nights a week together as a group,” McAbier said.

The group also plans to do some long-distance overnight rides in the future and attend events.

“We’re just a bunch of good guys getting together and just riding. It’s some time for fellowship and just to be around each other. And it's been really good,” McAbier said. “We just love riding together.”

The group moved into a small building in New Philadelphia a few months ago that members use as their clubhouse and center for all the charitable activities they’d like to do. With the success of their Thanksgiving project, they also are planning to do a service project for Christmas too.

“We're going to continue to give back in this county,” McAbier said. “We're such a great county to live in. People want to give back, and it’s nice to see.”

Follow them on Facebook at Ohio Gorillas.