Lose 10 pounds in a day? Bellingham man will go the distance for food bank
A lifelong Bellingham resident and local real estate agent plans to burn about 13,000 calories and lose about 10 pounds over the course of a single day this month to raise awareness about food insecurity while fundraising for the Bellingham Food Bank.
For the fifth year in a row, Ethan Hunger — yes, his last name is actually Hunger — plans to take on his annual Calorie Challenge on July 19. It’s the largest event of his annual fundraising campaign called Hunger Vs. Hunger.
Hunger said this culminating event is meant to be as difficult as possible to prove that no matter how hard he tries to ruin a day, “it’ll never rival the struggles of food insecurity.”
“The reason I make it so hard is so that people actually pay attention to what I’m trying to do. It kind of has to be absolutely insane or nobody will notice it,” Hunger said in an interview with The Herald.
This year’s challenge is the longest it’s ever been. It will start at midnight and is expected to take Hunger about 20 hours to complete. His day will include:
▪ An estimated 112-mile round-trip road bike between Bellingham and Artist Point.
▪ A one-hour HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) class.
▪ An estimated 10.5-mile swim across the entirety of Lake Whatcom.
▪ A 7-mile mountain bike ride on Galbraith Mountain.
▪ A 5-mile run to Fairhaven.
Hunger told The Herald he believes he will be the first person in history to bike to Artist Point and back, and swim the entirety of Lake Whatcom in a single day.
“I’ve done this five times, and not once have I ever had the thought of stopping or giving up in the middle of the day — because I’m not doing it for me,” Hunger said. “To my mom’s despair, the only way I’m ever leaving this race is in an ambulance. I will not give up because I’m tired.”
Last year, Hunger raised more than $250,000 for the Bellingham Food Bank. This year, his goal is to raise $300,000 as the food bank sees an unprecedented need paired with a significant loss of federal funding support.
Bellingham Food Bank Executive Director Mike Cohen said the food bank has really come to rely on Hunger’s fundraiser.
“This has become by far our largest, single fundraising event in our history, all through Ethan’s hard work and a lot of really generous community members,” Cohen said in an interview with The Herald.
Bellingham Food Bank serves about 5,000 households each week and is purchasing more food than any other food bank in Washington, Cohen said.
Hunger said one of his goals is to make fundraising fun by creating exciting ways for the community to get engaged with the cause.
On July 19, members of the public can get involved in several ways. Anyone is welcome to join Hunger at 8 a.m. for the one-hour HIIT class at JD Elite Fitness. Participants can sign up early and donate upon arrival. The class is adaptable for all fitness levels and will include giveaways from local businesses.
There will also be a Finish Line Party at Stones Throw Brewery at 5 p.m., where supporters can gather to cheer Hunger on as he crosses the finish line. Ten percent of all brewery revenue between 5 and 10 p.m. will be donated to the food bank.
Donations are accepted at any time, with three sponsors matching donations this year. So any amount donated can make four times the impact.
Other upcoming Hunger Vs. Hunger community fundraising events include:
▪ A community yoga session at the Northwest Tune-Up at 10 a.m. July 13.
▪ A physical fitness challenge that is ongoing throughout the month of July called the “Get Fit for the Food Bank Challenge.”
▪ A scavenger hunt ride and block party at Beach Cat Brewing on July 26 from 3 to 8 p.m.
