The Denver URBAN Guerrillas ride tomorrow night for Sox Place

​For some folk, even the smallest kindness makes a huge difference. Since the club's inception five years ago, that's been the idea behind the Denver URBAN (the acronym stands for United Revolutionary Bicycle Action Network) Guerrillas, a group that member Joel Menkveld describes as "a bunch of freewheelin' freaks that are basically trying to better our community." For the most part, the group does that through monthly rides where they hand out toiletries, socks, water and sandwiches to homeless people, but tomorrow night, URBAN is taking it a step further.

"This is our first benefit," Menkveld says, and for the beneficiary URBAN selected Sox Place, a drop-in center dedicated to providing food and a crash pad and a little comfort to homeless youth -- and although URBAN and Sox are not officially affiliated, says Menkveld, URBAN is in some ways Sox's spiritual progeny. "Yeah, Sox was an easy choice. You know, this is not a government organization, this is just people who wanted to do some good and created this place over a decade ago, and they're still doing it. So we just kind of wanted to give something back -- for all they've done for the community, but especially for what they've done for individual members of this club, when we were younger and maybe not in the best situations."

​The benefit, preceded on URBAN's part by a ride, starts at 8 p.m. tomorrow night at Bender's Tavern, and features the music of The Limbs, Landgrabbers, Osyluth and Chingaso, and art from Patrick McGirr. "Yeah, it's awesome, all of the bands are really stoked to play," says Menkveld, who is also the drummer of Chingaso. In addition, there will be a silent auction and door prizes that include clothing made out of bicycle parts and a free pound of coffee per month for a year from Pablo's Coffee. "You could win stuff just for coming, basically," Menkveld observes.

It's an $8 donation to get in unless you bring in socks or travel-size toiletries (except for mouthwash, because, you know, hobos), in which case it's $5. All cash proceeds will go to Sox Place, while the rest of the donated stuff will go to URBAN to be distributed on the group's next ride. For more information, see the Facebook events page.

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