Norm Patry, Owner of Summer Feet Cycling with Ainsley Judge, Director of the Gear Hub, 155 Washington Avenue, Where the Annual Event Began This Morning Following a Pause Because of the Pandemic. Patry Has Organized This Event for About Six Years.
Chris Riccardo is Delighted With the Raffle Prize he Won; A Handlebar Bag for his Bike.
Sydney Springer said This is Her first Year Participating in the Event. She Came Prepared to Transport Many Items!
Chris Allen Sips his Ale at Rising Tide Brewing Company This Afternoon Following a Scanvger Hunt for Food to Donate to the Westbrook Food Pantry.Allen Has Run in the Old Port Half Marathon Twice.
“I love any event where you can raise money for a charity while being physically active,” said Chris Allen, this afternoon as he sipped a Dymark Ale at Rising Tide Brewing Company, 103 Fox Street. Rising Tide is where the annual bike ride for food donations concludes each year.
Allen was one of a dozen bicyclist who began the scavanger hunt for food at Gear Hub on the east end of Portland. There, Norm Patry, organizer of the annual event and owner of the Portland based Summer Feet Cycling, read a list of items he’d compiled and the locations where they were to be purchased to each biker who participated. These items are to be donated to the Westbrook Food Pantry, the town in which he lives. Patry said that he was careful to be cost effective in his choice of items. Each participant would spend between $10. and $15. Items such as pasta, canned soup and canned vegetables made the short list.
“Everything is so expensive this year, I really tried to keep costs down,” Patry said. In past years, there have been many more particiating in the five year old event. Patry did not know the reason for the decline.in the number of those participating. It was a great day to be outdoors with temperatures in the 60s.
Heather Chandler showed up at Hub Gear for her fourth year of participating in the bike drive/scavenger hunt. About twenty years ago, she rode in a Boston to New York City fund raiser to alleviate AIDS she said. That was about 275 miles of biking. “I’m a big bike enthusiast,” she said grinning.
“It’s a fun event. It started in New York City twenty years ago,” said Patry. “There are 150 places across the country doing the same thing today.” But because of the pandemic, this is the first time in two years the event has been held in Portland. it’s also the best weather day we’ve ever had Patry said.
Gear Hub has been in this Washington Avenue location for the past four years. It’s programs benefit Camp Ketcha, a summer camp. Two hundred 200 bikes have been given out since January of this year said Judge, Director of the non-profit.
“That 200 is a record number,” she said. Most of them have gone to New Mainers, but not all of them. Many of the New Mainers are not yet eligible for resources in the state. The non-profit receives donations of bikes from all over the state of Maine.
For more information on the non-profit, please visit portlandgearhub.org.