Photos and Article by Mary Alice Murphy
Ride for the Gospel Mission 071815
Ride for The Silver City Gospel Mission 071815
Father Roberto Barreto, pastor of the Hurley Shrine of the Infant Jesus, blessed the riders.
Ride for The Silver City Gospel Mission 071815
In addition to a small fee, riders were asked to bring canned food.
Ride for The Silver City Gospel Mission 071815
Carrying the American Flag was Larry Himes, with Ben Collins carrying the New Mexico flag. They are members of the Gaffney-Oglesby Marine Corps League Detachment 1328.
Ride for The Silver City Gospel Mission 071815
Jessie Martinez talks about his art career after graduating from Cobre High School.
Ride for The Silver City Gospel Mission 071815
Martinez created a large Thank You poster for the riders.
Ride for The Silver City Gospel Mission 071815
More than 30 riders lined up to join the ride.
Ride for The Silver City Gospel Mission 071815
The Gospel Mission staff and volunteers lined up for a group photo. They prepared lunch for the riders.
A ride was organized by José Ray Jr. and Robert Lopez to benefit The Gospel Mission. More than 30 riders took off for a round-trip to Mimbres, after which The Gospel Mission hosted a lunch for them.
Rev. Roberto Barreto of the Hurley Shrine of the Infant Jesus blessed the riders.
Lopez, after the blessing and before the posting of the colors, asked for a moment of silence for the four Marines killed in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Members of the Gaffney-Oglesby Marine Corps League Detachment 1328, Larry Himes, carrying the American flag, and Ben Collins with the New Mexico flag, posted the colors.
Ray said: "Everybody takes credit for this event. We hope to do it again. Father Barreto said it was for a good cause—for the kids and for poor people."
Lopez thanked all of the veterans taking part in the ride. "We are brothers here. Enjoy."
A Thank You poster was created by Jessie Martinez, who told the Beat he does all the cartoons for The Gospel Mission, as well as the murals. He will be working on a mural at McDonald's. He said he graduated from Cobre High School and studied and worked in Los Angeles.
Randy Salars, The Gospel Mission manager, said the mission greatly appreciates the event and thanked the veterans. "It's a way to help out the veterans who are hurting."