Donnie Townsend hopes to allow people to have fun and fill local food pantries at the same time with Hoss Cat's Ride for Charity Saturday.

"This is a way for you as a person to enjoy yourself, help out a charity and come together as a community to benefit our charities," Townsend, Hoss Cat owner, said. "When people come to this we expect them to have fun."

The registration fee is $10 plus two non-perishable food items per rider that will be donated to the Ironton City Mission.

Sign in begins at 10 a.m. Saturday.

All money raised will be donated to the charities of the donators choice and to the Shane Jones Memorial, he said.

"Everybody is welcome. This is for charity," he said. "We want everyone to come and have a cold Pepsi and eat and laugh with us."

The riders will leave from the Ironton Hills Shopping Center at 1 p.m. and travel out State Route 93 to Oak Hill then ride to Rio Grande and back down State Route 141 to Ironton, Townsend said.

Overall, it will be about a three hour tour of Lawrence, Jackson and Gallia counties, he said.

Townsend said they expect a minimum of 200 people but hope 500 or more show up. In the case of rain, the ride will be postponed until Oct. 19.

"Every ride stops and starts at a bar," he said of his motivation to do things a little differently. "There are a lot of people that want to ride but don't want to go to a bar."

He encouraged anyone who wants to help out to come and register, even if they do not want to participate in the ride. The first hundred people that register will receive a free T-shirt.

Townsend said they could not do it without the sponsorship of Pepsi, WLGC and Pick 'N Save and he would like other businesses to become involved. The sponsors will provide finger foods, refreshments and door prizes for the event.

Riders can register for the ride all week. For more information call (740) 533-1500 or 1-866-Hoss Cat.

"This is the first of many to come," he said. "At least one a year."