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BLACK GIRLS RIDE MAGAZINE

Writer's picturePorsche Taylor

Engines for Change ‘Ride Against Hunger’

Engines for Change ‘Ride Against Hunger’ Mobilizes Motorcyclists Nationwide to Fight Food InsecurityRiders across the country are raising funds, awareness, and food donations to help partner charities feed their communities. During the month of April, motorcyclists across the United States and Canada are coming together to help fight food insecurity in their local areas. The 2021 Ride Against Hunger is a volunteer-run initiative, coordinated by Engines for Change (E4C), a status-pending 501(c)(3) that brings together motorcyclists to participate in charity work. “Food insecurity is one of the greatest issues that our nation faces,” said Kirsten Midura, E4C’s Founder and Executive Director. “The pandemic has made matters much worse, and it’s time that we address this issue using all the tools we have - including motorcycles.” In the United States today, one in every nine Americans suffers from food insecurity. This equates to roughly 37 million, 11 million of whom are children. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this number has surged to approximately 54M Americans who cannot afford to eat, including 18 million children.


Photo courtesy of: Universe City (Brooklyn, NY charity partner)


Photo courtesy of Kyanite Kitchen For this spring’s Ride Against Hunger, E4C volunteers are organizing simultaneous food drives in 12 North American cities, including NYC, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Phoenix, and Toronto, among others. Each organizer has partnered with a local charity that specializes in food security. Each city is engaging in a friendly competition to raise the most funds and food donations on behalf of the partner charities. At the end of April, the team with the most donations will win an additional $250 for their partner charity, courtesy of motorcycle accessories company Hightail Hair. Additionally, on April 24, each participating city will host a volunteer day to collect and deliver food donations. Local organizers include groups such as Ride to the Warehouse, MotoXmission, Ride My Road, Hammerheads PDX, Clutch Moto, Black Girls Ride, Vicious Hogs MC, and E4C, itself. While E4C waits for its own nonprofit status to come through, this project is operating under fiscal sponsorship from Portland-based Global Grid Project, a 501(c)(3) that increases awareness around energy poverty and enables people to have better access to education, safer environments, and a better quality of life. Over the last year and a half, E4C has built a strong repertoire of charity work. During the initial height of the pandemic, the organization created a network of motorcyclists in New York City that delivered PPE and other essential items to frontline workers and Black Lives Matter protesters. Last fall, they also partnered with Black Girls Ride and other motorcycle groups to host ‘Ride to the Polls,’ a series of rides in 15 cities to raise voter awareness and engagement leading up to the 2020 U.S. election. E4C also has organized beach cleanups in NYC, and they have their sights set on expanding these to other cities, as well. Those looking to donate to the Ride Against Hunger can do so on the official Ride Against Hunger fundraising page. And to find out more about the campaign or to sign up for a volunteer day in their area, visit https://www.enginesforchange.org/2021-food-drive.


Photo courtesy of Engines for Change Ride Against Hunger Organizing Partners ● Ride to the Warehouse (San Diego): https://www.ridetothewarehouse.com/ ● MotoXmission (Washington, D.C. and Chicago): http://www.facebook.com/groups/MotoXmission (DC) & https://www.instagram.com/motoxmissionchi/ (Chicago) ● Ride My Road (Medford, OR): https://www.ridemyroad.org/ ● Clutch Moto (Bayonne, NJ): https://www.officialclutchmoto.com/ ● Hammerheads PDX (Portland, OR): https://www.instagram.com/hammerheadspdx/?hl=en ● Black Girls Ride: http://blackgirlsride.com/ ● Vicious Hogs MC: https://www.facebook.com/kingzmc.fayetteville/posts/vicious-hogs- clubhouse-raleigh-nc/778059952291752/


PPE (face mask) delivery during COVID Ride Against Hunger Charity Partners ● Albany, NY: Regional Foodbank of Northeastern NY: https://regionalfoodbank.net/ ● Bayonne, NJ: PERC Union City & Sunday Supper: https://www.percshelter.org/ https://www.instagram.com/sundaysupperprogram/ ● Brooklyn, NY: Universe City/Grow Brownsville: https://www.universecity.nyc/ ● Chicago: Love Fridge & Star Farm Chicago: https://www.thelovefridge.com/ https://www.starfarmchicago.net/ ● Medford, OR: The Maslow Project: https://www.maslowproject.com/ ● Phoenix, AZ: St. Mary's Food Bank: https://www.firstfoodbank.org/ ● Portland, OR: Our Streets PDX: https://ourstreetspdx.org/ ● Raleigh-Durham, NC: Inter-Faith Food Shuttle: https://www.foodshuttle.org ● San Diego, CA: San Diego Food Bank: https://sandiegofoodbank.org/ ● San Francisco, CA: SF-Marin Food Bank: https://www.sfmfoodbank.org/ ● Toronto, ON, Canada: Daily Bread Food Bank: https://www.dailybread.ca/ ● Washington, DC: Kyanite Kitchen: https://www.instagram.com/kyanite.kitchen/?hl=en

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