On Sunday September 24th, 18 teams participated in a fundraising bike ride at Noble & Greenough School in Dedham. Each cyclist raised money for his/her affiliated hunger-relief agency. Three Squares New England, the organizing team, raised enough funds through individual donors and financial sponsors to offset the costs of the event and return 100% to each affiliated partner.
We closed registration at 350 riders one week before the event. Last year’s Ride generated $465,000 from 18 teams and 330 cyclists, so the year over year funds and ridership growth increased by approximately 10%.
The success was due to the motivation of each rider and hunger-relief organization who want to give back to the community and do something that feels good physically. A beautiful, sunny day also brought 75 volunteers to the campus to support the cyclists. The Ride For Food also attracted a record number of sponsors who choose to support a local non-profit that engages 500 local residents.
Highlights of the Ride not only include the record-breaking $500,000 but also show-stoppers: Boston’s “wheelie king” Donrick Pond rode the entire ten-mile route on his rear wheel and our first engagement. We were honored to witness a marriage proposal from Nikhil to 50-mile cyclist Kelsey Grab representing Food For Free. “Forget match.com, come meet your match at the Ride for Food 2018!” At the venue, we also welcome Rev’d Indoor Spinning that brought 30 stationary bikes and amazing instructors for 45-minute work-outs to supporters, family and friends who were not riding the routes. Whole Foods Market once again came in strong with catering breakfast, lunch and water stop supplies. Mechanics and massage therapists helped both prep the cyclists and help them recover from a long ride on a hot day. It was a wonderful ride and ‘after-party’!