Last summer, I spent much of my time volunteering for the food bank farm, pulling weeds, planting and harvesting crops and shoveling compost. It was also my job to deliver the farm produce to the distribution center at the food bank, and it was there that I observed just how busy the food bank was. Men, women, and children would be lined up outside the entrance, waiting to get the food they needed to feed their families.
As the third-busiest food bank in Western Washington, the Bellingham Food Bank receives more than 9,500 visits and distributes 200,000 pounds of food per month, to nearly 15 percent of Bellingham families. Bellingham is fortunate to have such an incredible food bank, but even with these numbers, 60 percent of families that visit the food bank skip or cut the size of their meals weekly, and nearly 50 percent of food bank recipients are either children or seniors. Additionally, the holiday season is a very busy time for the food bank.
To be completely honest, it started out as a wild idea: try to bike for 24 continuous hours, just for fun. As a biker and avid distance runner, I'm up for anything that challenges the limits of my personal endurance. The rush of endorphins and feeling of accomplishment has grown to be quite an addiction for me. With that said, the idea of a 24-hour bike ride seemed like a big stretch. I haven't ever biked more than 16 hours in a day before, and the last time I did, it was tough to walk, sit down or stand up for the next few days. But the thought of biking for 24 straight hours straight really stuck with me, and I decided that I was going to go through with it. As I mulled the idea over, I thought of the food bank, and how cool it would be to somehow turn the ride into a fundraiser. Not only would that push me to actually go through with it, but also it would be a great opportunity to raise both money and awareness for such an outstanding organization.
So I made a pledge sheet, let some friends, family, and my church know what I was up to, and before I knew it, I had raised $650 in donations. I've also received pledges on a per-mile and per 20-mile loop basis, which is a great motivator for me to find that extra gear when the going gets tough. To this point I've raised a total of $850, with a goal of $1,000. It's truly wonderful how supportive the community has been to this cause, and it is an incredible feeling to be making a difference for many of these families. On Dec. 28 at noon, I'll set out from my house, travel through Fairhaven, down old Samish, cut across the freeway, head back through Fairhaven and back to my house. Then I'll repeat the loop, over and over again for 24 hours. Let's do it!
ABOUT WINDOW ON MY WORLD
Window On My World is an occasional essay in Monday's Bellingham Herald that allows Whatcom County residents to share their passion for what they do, an idea or cause they support. Send your Window On My World, which must be no more than 700 words, to Julie.shirley@bellinghamherald.com.
