Saturday morning, the weather was anything but tropical.

Stepping outside in the 25 degree weather, one needed to wear plenty of layers to fight the cold. And certainly any activity that would actively increase the wind chill was out of the question.

Well, out of the question for most.

A small group of volunteers spent Saturday morning at the fourth annual Polar Bear Run motorcycle ride, raising funds to benefit the Western Tidewater Community Services Board.

“We had a nice group of people who braved the cold for us,” said Anita Morris, resource development coordinator of the Western Tidewater Community Services Board.

All the money raised on Saturday goes to the board’s consumer fund, which provides nontraditional health care services, such as paying for heat, food for families and school supplies.

“It’s those day-to-day necessities that the money helps us provide for us to really engage people effectively in their treatment,” Morris said.

The run was sponsored by Tidewater Motorcycles, which has long supported the board.

“They’ve been big supporters of ours, of the CSB for years,” Morris said. “And this is just another example of that.”

Also lending a helping hand was the management of the Chuckatuck Village Tavern.

The restaurant served as the ride’s halfway point, had a live band playing and offered up a barbecue lunch for everyone participating in the run.

“They were very, very gracious to us,” Morris said. “We’re hoping to do more with them in the future.”

The total amount raised has yet to be calculated, but Morris said the numbers were down from previous years. Still, she said, she and the CSB appreciated all that people did contribute.

“We may not have raised as much as we have in the past, but still that people are willing to come out on a 20 degree day at 8 to 9 in the morning to just show their support for those folks in the community that are less fortunate than themselves, that’s an invaluable thing. You can’t even put a price tag on that.”