By BOBBIE GREEN
The Progress
Kokopelli ATV Club members are not just a group of fun-loving people who like the outdoors and stirring up the dust in their OHV’s. They are also a community-oriented group that annually donates to local charities.
Friday afternoon The Kokopelli ATV Club members rode their “buggies” through Mesquite in a caravan to the Virgin Valley Food Bank. The group delivered about 3,500 pounds of food collected this year by Kokopelli members. It was the 3rd year in a row for this food drive.
“We have two fundraisers a year,” explained Kokopelli member Bob Lopez. “This one starts in May ending the first of September. We collect food and cash donations for food to go to the local food bank.”
The other club fundraiser begins Sept. 1 through Dec. 1. “For that one, we collect donation money for the “Shop with a Cop” program,” he said. “That program encompass both Virgin and Moapa Valleys.”
This effort helps fund members of the Police Departments going Christmas shopping each year with elementary age students.
Kokopelli Past President Dominic Oliveto was pleased with the success of the food drive. “Even with inflation, we were able to get more food than last year,” he said. “Mainly because we were able to go to the commissary at Nellis Air Force Base through one of our members, and they were very helpful working with us”
Gladys Smith from the Virgin Valley Food Bank was on hand to receive the food. Smith expressed her deep gratitude. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she said. “The shelves are now stocked and ready to be distributed next week.”
Kokopelli was formed in 1996 as a non-profit recreational organization that advocates and promotes the responsible use and conservation of public lands and natural resources to preserve their aesthetic and recreational qualities for future generations.
Anyone wishing to donate to the club’s fundraising efforts may do so online at https://kokopelliatvclub.com/store/ols/products/donation.
