Fighting An Uphill Battle

If you said we were fighting an uphill battle when it comes to eliminating hunger in Texas, technically, you’d be correct. Especially if you meant riding our bikes up hills to raise money for such an important cause. In May, First Choice Power joined H-E-B as a Title Sponsor of the Ride Against Hunger, an annual fundraiser to benefit the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, one of our Food First^TM partners. The ride took place May 28 at Sharyland Plantation. This was the fifth year for the event, which offered 25-, 40- and 60-mile bike routes for cyclists of all levels. There was also a 5k Walk/Run and, new this year, a Children’s 1 Mile.

The food bank provides critical help here in the Rio Grande Valley, where hunger affects 1 out of 2 children. First Choice Power area representative and FBRGV board member Sonia Guajardo-Lopez first tackled the 60-mile route last year, and was back this year to cheer on participants. “It was WINDY!” Sonia said. “All I could think about was the walkers and cyclists and how tough it is to ride against the wind.” In spite of the windy weather, 320 participants came out to raise more than $16,250 for the food bank. That equals an additional 80,000 meals the food bank will be able to provide.

If you were at the ride, you might have seen First Choice Power handing out drinks and fruit at the finish line. We also manned the BBQ pit for the after-race dinner. Sonia’s favorite part of the event was watching the cyclists finish the ride. “Seeing the sweat dripping down the helmets, their exhausted faces and then the finale — their beaming smile once they crossed that finish line!” she said. “I’m a cyclist, so I know how much hard work, time and effort goes into training for an event like this. But today I was able to see hundreds of smiling faces on the cyclists and walkers. I felt blessed that each of them did this for such a great cause."