Seattle Cranksgiving 2025 is November 22 + More ways to support community food security with your wallet and your bike

Art by Anita Elder.

The 16th Annual Seattle Cranksgiving is November 22, but it could be unlike any that came before it. Join us for a day of fun, bikes and community support! Anyone with a bike and a way to carry some food can join for a bike ride scavenger hunt to buy food to donate to four local food banks: Rainier Valley Food Bank, Byrd Barr Place, U District Food Bank and, for the first time, White Center Food Bank.

Cranksgiving is an alleycat ride challenging you and a team of up to four people to bike to as many grocery sellers on our secret list within the time limit, buying items our partner food banks have requested along the way. You score points for each location visited, each item type donated as well as some silly additional challenges. After dropping off donations, riders are invited to join us for an afterparty at Central Cinema. It's a lot of fun, but it also brings in a huge amount of food. Riders last year broke our all-time record by hauling more than two tons of donations (4,210 pounds) all by bike.

We are once again partnering with Cascade Bicycle Club's Pedaling Relief Project to host Seattle Cranksgiving 2025. The event is free to register, but expect to spend at least $40 on groceries (or more if you are able). Pre-registration is not required, but RSVP if you can so we have a rough idea of how many people might show up. Invite your friends!

We will be getting everyone registered and set-up between 9 and 9:45 a.m. at Byrd Barr Place. The ride will start promptly at 10, and all riders must be finished by 2 p.m. Teams will get one list that sends them either north or south, then a second list that brings them back to the start. There is no set route, and navigating the city on your own is part of the challenge. This is a great opportunity to show off your bike route knowledge.

The longer routes are 12-15 miles and the shorter route is about 3-5 miles. Bring a bike lock, a pen, a way to carry food (if nothing else a backpack works), and anything you need to handle whatever the weather has in store for us. We ride rain or shine. They laughed at you when you bought that waterproof turkey costume, but you were just getting prepared for this moment. We also have volunteer positions if that's more your speed.

You don't have to wait until November 22 to use your bike as a tool for community food support. Check out the Pedaling Relief Project to see if there is a food rescue or delivery time and location that works for you. It's a lot of fun, and you are guaranteed to meet inspiring people. PRP volunteers take a bunch of transportation tasks off the shoulders of food bank staff and volunteers while also helping to increase food bank distribution capacity.

Cranksgiving in a time of cuts to SNAP

As of writing this post, Republicans in DC appear prepared to allow federal SNAP benefits (AKA food stamps) to stop November 1. 930,000 people in Washington State (about one in ten state residents) currently rely on SNAP to afford food, which is only getting more expensive due to Republican tariffs and Republican abduction raids targeting immigrants working all stages of our food production pipeline. The Seattle Times reports that existing EBT balances will still be usable, but additional funds will not be added after November 1. People can continue to apply for SNAP, but those applications won't be processed until positions are staffed again.

We do not know what the situation will be like November 22, and I hope SNAP benefits are back before then. But either way, we know our food banks will be pushed hard. Lines at food banks are already getting longer as the cost of living increases, but cutting SNAP will cause a surge in extreme hardship. Food banks cannot cover the loss of SNAP, but they will do everything they can to help feed their communities. So if you have the means, please consider making a cash donation to your local food banks.

You can also check your food bank for more volunteer opportunities. For example, Rainier Valley Food Bank has just opened their Community Food Hub building this month after a lengthy renovation (many Cranksgiving riders helped donate to this project years back!), and they are seeking new volunteers to help operate the space and keep it open more days and hours.

If you are feeling financial strain as each trip to the grocery store feels more difficult to squeeze into your budget, your food bank is there for you. There's no onerous qualifying process, you just show up when they are open and get food.

Community joy is an act of defiance in the face of cruelty and fascism. These monsters cutting SNAP want the people to be miserable, but we can stand up for each other, support each other and enjoy each other whether they like it or not.