Saturday: ‘Sani Cycle’ bike ride scavenger hunt to support food banks with non-food necessities

The term food bank" has long been a misnomer because these organizations provide community members with so much more than food. Food donations are always great, of course, but so are the other necessities like diapers, menstrual products, soap, toothbrushes and so much more.

So the Seattle Pedaling Relief Project, noting the need for more of these non-food items at their partner organizations, decided to organize a charity bike event to gather and drop-off donations. Inspired by Cranksgiving, the food drive bike ride Seattle Bike Blog has organized locally for ten years, Sani Cycle is a scavenger hunt that challenges individuals or teams to get on their bikes to gather items that food banks need.

The event is Saturday (August 1) at four different food banks in the city. But teams must register online by the end the day Thursday (tomorrow!). To prevent crowding at donation spots, each team will get a unique manifest with a food bank and time slot for drop-offs (teams are asked for their preferred times and locations during registration). That's a pretty clever solution for preventing crowding during a bike event, and also why you need to register in advance. Teams will receive their manifests Friday, which will contain all further instructions.

Teams can be up to five people, though they should be people you are already in your COVID circle. It's free to register, and there's no minimum donation to participate. Whatever you feel comfortable with is best," the organizers wrote in the event description.

As we reported previously, the Pedaling Relief Project has been using bikes and volunteer power to help distribute goods from food banks and other organizations to community members who need them. The pandemic has greatly increased demand for delivery services as people either can't or do not feel comfortable accessing the food bank in person. Now they have decided to try to help increase donations, as well.

More details from the Seattle Pedaling Relief Project:

This is a community bike ride / scavenger hunt / donation drive! Modeled after Seattle Bike Blog's Cranksgiving', teams of 1-5 riders will be delivering sanitary products and other supplies to various food banks in the Seattle area while competing in fun challenges!

Participants in this event will receive a prize, a link to join us afterwards for a super cool Zoom with super cool folks, and the satisfaction of a job well done and a Saturday well spent.

How to Do This

1. Choose your team! You can ride as a lone wolf or you can ride on a team of up to five folks. Try to choose folks that are already in your riding / living / interacting circles.

2. As a team choose your first two choices for food banks to donate to, and first two choices for time slots to donate within. You will be given your final food bank and time slot on July 31st.

a. Your food bank options are:

i. Byrd Barr Food Bank

ii. Rainier Valley Food Bank

iii. El Centro de la Raza

iv. University Food Bank

b. Your time slot options are:

i. 10am - 11am

ii. 11am - 12pm

iii. 12pm - 1pm

3. Choose a team captain! This person will be filling out the registration form with the above info.

4. Each team member fills out the registration form! Woot! Now you're ready to go!

(Full disclosure: My wonderful spouse Kelli helped organize Sani Cycle.)