By Alec Etheredge | Staff Writer

Our Helping Hands of Bama is hosting their first annual car and bike show Saturday July 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Goose Pond Park in Clanton.

In 2005, Susan Barrett, a mother of three, was diagnosed with cervical cancer and needed as much help from others as she could get. Ten years later she decided to start Our Helping Hands of Bama, which is a non-profit organization that helps feed the homeless and elderly.

“Due to my health and having cancer, I needed a helping hand,” Barrett said. “When I got better I knew immediately that I wanted to lend a helping hand to others that I saw struggling such as the homeless and elderly.”

Right now Barrett prepares homemade meals and delivers them herself to about 20-25 elderly people per week. She not only goes out of her way for the elderly, but also fixes lunch sacks of food and water for the homeless and personally walks around Linn Park in Birmingham delivering them to anybody she sees that needs a helping hand. She said the organization helps around 300 people per month and she is looking to drastically increase that number.

“Our goal with the car and bike show is to raise between $500 and $600 in order to get our 501(c) (3),” Barrett said. “This will help us grow and make more people want to contribute to our organization because of the tax write off it will give them.”

The idea for the event came about when she was talking to some friends about doing a bike ride to benefit the foundation. Since it is mid-summer, those same friends recommended a car and bike show in a shady park instead.

The organization is currently run out of a three-car garage that is filled with donations, but Barrett hopes to one day have a building so the organization can open its own food pantry.

“I hate having to tell people no and the goal of these events is to help grow our organization and work toward a food pantry, which will help provide more homeless and elderly, with food, water and clothes,” Barrett said.

The car and bike show will have anywhere from 25-30 cars and booth vendors as well as five food vendors, including a Kona ice. It’ll also be fun for the whole family with two bouncy houses and several kids’ games available for 25 cents apiece.

The event is free to the public and all donations and profits will go to the Helping Hands of Bama organization.