East Bay Outtakes is back from a short break and since I  last wrote about two brothers biking 200 miles to raise money for Doctor’s Without Borders before heading out on a 300-mile bike ride of my own across New Mexico, I thought it fitting to return with an item about… biking.

On Wednesday, 18 current and retired members of the Berkeley Police Department and UC Berkeley Police and a few guests will ride 216 miles from the Berkeley police station to Lake Tahoe for the sake of charity.  The riders are off duty and they use their own vacation time to participate.

The Turkey Ride was hatched 25 years ago when three Berkeley officers rode their bikes from Berkeley to South Lake Tahoe. During the venture _ and with lots of time on their hands _ they talked about developing a community service  project that could involve other officers.

They ultimately decided that they would raise money to buy food and give it to needy Berkeley families during the November and December holiday season.

In 1985, the inaugural Turkey Ride took place with seven officers riding more than 200 miles in two and a half days. The group raised enough money to buy 250 turkeys and other food items for needy families. 

Since then, support for the Turkey Ride has grown with riders raising enough money to buy more than 500 turkeys and food baskets each year. Officers submit names of families in need and then assemble the baskets on the lawn outside the police station. Police deliver them to families throughout the city _ in the patrol cars, not on their bikes. Outtakes wishes them luck on the road.