November 30, 2011

This Saturday, December 3 is the 6th annual Supermarket Street Sweep charity event to benefit the San Francisco Food Bank. The event is part scavenger hunt, part race and all about helping fellow San Franciscans in need. To win, riders must be the first to complete the course or carry the heaviest load of food. Last year the event drew 170 riders and collected 6,920 lbs of food, all donated to the San Francisco Food Bank. It’s like a Supermarket Sweep on bikes for charity.

Don’t want to bike ride but still want to participate? You can fundraise at Firstgiving. Riders must be at Cupid’s Span (Folsom and Embarcadero) on Saturday, December 3 at noon. The riders are provided with a list of grocery stores and food items to purchase at each store. In previous years, riders have used everything including doggy trailers to haul as much food as possible. Beyond just having fun and doing good, riders can win prizes donated by sponsors. You can read about all of the prizes on the official event blog. The prizes will be handed out at the race after party with free beer from 21st Amendment.

The race comes at an important time as the Food Bank always faces higher demand during the holidays. In San Francisco, a staggering 150,000 people — 20% of the city’s population — forego food in order to pay their bills. The San Francisco Food Bank helps to provide essentials to those in need.

In the last year, food banks in this country have witnessed a 30% increase in the demand for food assistance. Yet, the San Francisco Food Bank is losing $161,000 in federal funding, the equivalent of 483,000 meals this year. This Saturday, we can all come do our part to help close this gap.