E St. Cruizers plan annual benefit cruise in San Bernardino
Every November, a group of vintage car owners give back to the community they grew up in on San Bernardino's Westside.
And this month will be no exception.
On Saturday, members of the E St. Cruizers will once again fill their classic Chevrolets, Fords and other cars with canned goods, toys, clothing and shoes and cruise to Mary's Mercy Center, an area nonprofit that serves the poor and homeless.
"We feel blessed that we have a home and all of this," said club president Gibby Botello as he stood near his two custom cars. "So we want to help our community especially at a time when people are losing their homes and jobs."
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And this month will be no exception.
On Saturday, members of the E St. Cruizers will once again fill their classic Chevrolets, Fords and other cars with canned goods, toys, clothing and shoes and cruise to Mary's Mercy Center, an area nonprofit that serves the poor and homeless.
"We feel blessed that we have a home and all of this," said club president Gibby Botello as he stood near his two custom cars. "So we want to help our community especially at a time when people are losing their homes and jobs."
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his time around, members will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Juan Pollo
restaurant on South E Street. Residents are then invited to drop off
donations and join the cruise.
Among items the organization is accepting are canned and dry goods, drinks, new and used clothes, personal hygiene products, toys, school supplies and monetary donations.
The cars will then leave Juan Pollo at 10:30 a.m. to cruise to Mary's Mercy Center.
Donations will help with the nonprofit's many programs including Mary's Table, which serves a balanced hot meal six day a week, the St. Martin de Porres Emergency Food Bag Program, Saint Joseph Clothes Closet and Veronica's Home of Mercy, a long-term Catholic-Christian residential-transitional home for pregnant women and their children.
Botello and his wife, Judy, were two of the five original members of the car club.
Botello grew up around relatives who had a passion for classic cars and cruising on E Street, and it rubbed off.
So after fixing up a 1968 Ford F-100, they decided to get together with others who shared their interests.
The Cruizers had their first Juan Pollo Cruize Nights Car Show in September 2003 at Juan Pollo Restaurant on South E Street, and monthly car shows continued through 2006.
They now do only annual benefit car shows, which gives them more time to go to other car shows and interact with other car clubs.
They now host the annual Cruising with Eagles Benefit Car Show, benefiting the Eagles' charity of their choice and the annual Holy Rosary Academy Benefit Car Show, benefiting the academy and others.
For many years the club has also hosted the car show-cruise part of Juan Pollo's Cruizin E St. event honoring veterans and youth in the community.
The Cruizers chose to help Mary' Mercy Center on an ongoing basis because the nonprofit is located on the Westside.
It started out small but has since grown to about 40 cars driving to Mary's Mercy Center and a growing number of donations.
One year, someone even dropped off a 20-pound turkey, Judy Botello recalled.
The couple typically shows up at the event in their truck and a 1969 blue Ford Galaxy 500XL convertible.
It's all about keeping a tradition alive and giving back, said Botello.
"As a teen I cruised E Street like my uncles, so it is keeping that alive," he said. "And the club was really formed so we could benefit people."
deborah.pfeiffer@inlandnewspapers.com
Among items the organization is accepting are canned and dry goods, drinks, new and used clothes, personal hygiene products, toys, school supplies and monetary donations.
The cars will then leave Juan Pollo at 10:30 a.m. to cruise to Mary's Mercy Center.
Donations will help with the nonprofit's many programs including Mary's Table, which serves a balanced hot meal six day a week, the St. Martin de Porres Emergency Food Bag Program, Saint Joseph Clothes Closet and Veronica's Home of Mercy, a long-term Catholic-Christian residential-transitional home for pregnant women and their children.
Botello and his wife, Judy, were two of the five original members of the car club.
Botello grew up around relatives who had a passion for classic cars and cruising on E Street, and it rubbed off.
So after fixing up a 1968 Ford F-100, they decided to get together with others who shared their interests.
The Cruizers had their first Juan Pollo Cruize Nights Car Show in September 2003 at Juan Pollo Restaurant on South E Street, and monthly car shows continued through 2006.
They now do only annual benefit car shows, which gives them more time to go to other car shows and interact with other car clubs.
They now host the annual Cruising with Eagles Benefit Car Show, benefiting the Eagles' charity of their choice and the annual Holy Rosary Academy Benefit Car Show, benefiting the academy and others.
For many years the club has also hosted the car show-cruise part of Juan Pollo's Cruizin E St. event honoring veterans and youth in the community.
The Cruizers chose to help Mary' Mercy Center on an ongoing basis because the nonprofit is located on the Westside.
It started out small but has since grown to about 40 cars driving to Mary's Mercy Center and a growing number of donations.
One year, someone even dropped off a 20-pound turkey, Judy Botello recalled.
The couple typically shows up at the event in their truck and a 1969 blue Ford Galaxy 500XL convertible.
It's all about keeping a tradition alive and giving back, said Botello.
"As a teen I cruised E Street like my uncles, so it is keeping that alive," he said. "And the club was really formed so we could benefit people."
deborah.pfeiffer@inlandnewspapers.com
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