MOTORBIKES AND LOWRIDER cars adorned the roads outside Hells Angels Stockton clubhouse this week as bikes from across the Valley brought in toys for children.
Hells Angels hosted their 4th annual toy drive this past Saturday with music, pozole, tamales, drinks and live DJ music, as the clubhouse doors stayed open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to gather presents for the children in Stockton.
The club will give out the presents at community centers and to those in the southern part of Stockton.
“It is a heartwarming event. It is a blessing for us to do the toy drive for the children,” said Andrew Sarisuk, vice president of the Hells Angels Stockton Chapter.
The donations come in from local friends and families of the club members and the toy drive collected between 5,000 and 6,000 toys last year, Sarisuk said.
Lowrider cars attract attention while on display outside the annual toy drive at the Hells Angels Motorcycle Clubhouse in Stockton on Dec. 16, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club gather for the annual toy drive at the Hells Angels Stockton clubhouse on Saturday. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
The inside of the Hells Angels Stockton clubhouse is a flurry of activity as donations arrive during the annual toy drive on Dec. 16, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Pozole and Tamales are served during the annual toy drive at the Hells Angels Stockton clubhouse on Dec. 16, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Donated presents are stacked around the Christmas tree inside the Hells Angels Stockton clubhouse during the annual toy drive on Dec. 16, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Wrapped and bagged presents are stacked around the Christmas tree during the annual toy drive at the Hells Angels Stockton clubhouse on Dec. 16, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local) 
Motorcycles of various makes and models are parked outside the Hells Angels Stockton clubhouse on Saturday during the club’s 4th annual toy drive for charity. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local)
“The bikers get a lot of bad rap, but we are always giving back to our communities,” said President Smitty, of the Marines MC West Valley Chapter. Smitty said the chapter consists of the those who served in the Marine Corps.
Smitty said his chapter hosts 8-9 toy drives every year in Northern California, with his next one in Oakland this Saturday.
Harika Maddala is a photojournalist based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. They are a Report for America corps member and a CatchLight Local Fellow.
