“Roll Out the Help” Collects 681 rolls of toilet paper

By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer

Hundreds of pounds of food and hundreds of rolls of toilet paper were collected during Yukon Main Street’s second annual “Cruise-in for a Cause.”

Several hundred vehicles participating by cruising and/or parking along State Highway 66 during the Sept. 17 benefit presented by Yukon’s Best Main Street and the Yukon 66 Main Street Association.

Helping sell “Cruise-in for a Cause” T-shirts are event volunteers: From left, Manna Pantry Board Member State Rep. Jay Steagall (R-Yukon), Yukon 66 Main Street Association board members Terry Martin, and Kay Casper, and Manna Pantry Board Member Kent Mathers. (Photo by Conrad Dudderar)

“We thought it went exceedingly well,” Yukon Main Street Director Vicki Davis said.

Collecting donations are “Cruise-in for a Cause” volunteers Dan Rogers of Manna Pantry, and D’Lynne McDaniel and Tammy McKee of Yukon Sharing. (Photo by Conrad Dudderar)

Buoyed by great weather and a desire for people to get out and enjoy life, cruise organizers were thrilled by the turnout.

“The event gave us a sense of community – whether people got out of their vehicles and strolled some of the areas or just slowly drove along the route,” Davis said. “It really provided that ‘connectivity’ that we were looking for.”

Yukon Compassionate Hands’ board members Ray Rhoton (left) and David Murphy check out some of the vintage vehicles – like Jim Black’s 1927 T-bucket Roadster – on display in downtown Yukon. Compassionate Hands was among four local non-profit “help causes” that benefitted for this year’s Route 66 car cruise. (Photo by Conrad Dudderar)

Four nonprofit “help” causes had advocacy booths during the events, encouraging cruise-goers to donate cash and needed items while promoting services they provide Yukon.
• Manna Pantry collected 92 pounds of peanut butter and jelly plus four packages of snacks. Their theme was “Fill Their Bellies with Peanut Butter and Jelly.”
• Yukon Sharing collected 157 pounds of soup. Their theme was “Soup for the Soul”.
• Compassionate Hands collected 681 rolls of toilet paper. Their theme was “Roll Out the Help for Compassionate Hands.”
• Pets & People Humane Society collected 200 pounds of kibble plus 42 cans of dog and cat food. Their theme was “Can You Show Me Some Love?”

This year’s Cruise-in for a Cause raised $1,858 to support these four Yukon non-profit agencies. This includes $1,289 collected at the booths, $154 from two “donation” stations

The “Batmobile” – owned by Brian Dunning – cruises downtown Yukon during the second annual Main Street fundraiser to support local non-profit agencies. Many vehicles drove along Route 66 while others parked and showed in the downtown district. (Photo by Alycia Barry)

and $415 in contributions from “Park & Show” entries.

Yukon Compassionate Hands Director Joanne Riley said it was a “great night” as her

volunteers cruised Main Street in one of their accessible vans – while the second van filled up with toilet paper rolls.

“It was lots of fun and I think it was an excellent outreach for Compassionate Hands,” Riley said.

Homer Cobb, a Yukon Chamber of Commerce ambassador, is proud is display his 2016 BMW M6 for Route 66 cruise attendees. (Photo by Alycia Barry)

The Sept. 17th Route 66 cruise, which was free and open to any street-legal vehicle – featured many classics plus some unique late-model vehicles.

Classic car enthusiasts admire some of the hundreds of vehicles that participated in Yukon’s second annual “Cruise-in for a Cause” on Sept. 17 presented by the Yukon 66 Main Street Association.

Many of the same car owners who participated in 2019’s inaugural event returned this year.

“That speaks to their enthusiasm for those vintage cars as well as Route 66,” Davis said.

“Our mayor (Shelli Selby) was out volunteering in the middle of the event and that again speaks to the sense of community.”

Yukon’s Main Street director pointed to the excellent response to two “photo stops” along the cruise route – on in front of the mill mural sponsored by State Farm and a second featuring the “Battlin’ Betties” pinup girl auxiliary.