Press Release June 22, 2015
Presbyterian's Pedal for Protein
At a Hunger Task Force meeting in 2013, one of our member
pastors, Rev. Sue Fleenor, Knox Presbyterian Church Santa Rosa, commented that
the food pantry at her church could only afford to purchase starch based foods
as the protein foods cost more from the food bank. The small church started a
food pantry ten years ago, helping 30 people per week, now the food pantry
serves over 300 per week, overwhelming the congregation. Even with joining forces
with the neighboring Catholic Resurrection parish, a member of Knox states,
“It’s a leap of faith every week!”
So the Pedal for Protein ride was created to feed hungry
people in the Presbytery of the Redwoods. Patty Sanders, Hunger Action Advocate
along with Presbytery Executive, Robert Conover both athletes and cyclists were
joined by thirteen other riders for a 6 day tour of the scenic Northern
California coast. The support from our Presbytery was fantastic, our
smallest congregations, many who hosted our riders with meals, showers and
accommodations loved being part of our support team. Our goal was to raise
$20,000, which I knew would be something to aim for but probably not
attainable, said Sanders. Our 15 riders for the 364 mile ride and 7 riders who
join us for the final day plus the Redwoods congregations raised over $25,000
for our inaugural Pedal for Protein in 2014.
This year our goal is to raise $30,000 for grassroots food
pantries. The rider's pay $250 each for registration, which covers our overhead
expenses such as sag wagon, publicity, one motel stay, snacks, etc. Plus each
rider is required to raise a minimum of $500. Last year most riders raised $900
plus. Interestingly, our average age was 60 years old. Our youngest rider was
Bryce Weibe, from the Presbyterian Hunger Program in Louisville, KY.
The 2015 ride will take 7 days and cover 429 miles and 32,000 feet of climbing,
about 60 miles per day (remember we do have sag wagons.) Our final day of the
ride, Saturday, September 26, will end at the Golden Gate Bridge.
We invite one day riders to join us along the way and especially on the last
day. The ride is open to any cyclists who want to support food pantries. For
more information, to Register or donate :
Contact:
Patty Sanders, HAE and Ride Director
415-515-6127
