PRESS RELEASE : Cranksgiving bike ride combines donation drive and scavenger hunt for a good cause.
Cranksgiving bike ride combines donation drive and scavenger hunt for a good cause.
11/15/16, Baton Rouge, LA
Bike Baton Rouge, a local non-profit organization, is inviting the community to join them for the second annual Cranksgiving bike ride on November 20 at City Park. The event will benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and will include a special donation to the Baton Rouge Police Department.
“Cranksgiving is a really fun way to get involved and to do some good, and with the flood damage that the Food Bank received, there is no better time to do that,” said Mika Torkkola, Bike Baton Rouge president.
Last year’s Cranksgiving was the first in Baton Rouge, but the event has a long history with its origins in New York City in 1999. In 2015, eighty events were held around the country throughout November.
Cranksgiving participants need only to bring a bicycle, a lock, and about $20 to spend at five grocery stores around Baton Rouge. A map to those stores and a five item shopping list will be provided, and participants will have two hours to make their purchases and get back to City Park. An average participant will ride around ten miles.
A family friendly option of about five miles is also available, and is suitable for riders of all ages.
Registration for Cranksgiving is free and will be open between 1:00 pm and 1:45 pm. At 1:30pm, Bike Baton Rouge will be presenting the East Baton Rouge Police Department with a special donation of bike lights.
“We will donate 500 LED lights to the Baton Rouge Police Department for our continued commitment to help Light up the Night in Baton Rouge,” said Samantha Morgan, board member of Bike Baton Rouge. “We hope this program will continue to educate people about the importance of riding with lights at night, as well as get them in the hands of people who need them.”
On May 20, 2016, Bike Baton Rouge made its first donation of 100 lights to the Baton Rouge Police Department with the agreement that the agency would give the lights to anyone they see riding without lights rather than issuing a ticket. Riding a bike in Louisiana at night without lights is illegal.
Membership fees and private donations have helped pay for a total of 300 lights. But the donation at Cranksgiving will be the largest yet, thanks to a generous donation from a Bike Baton Rouge member and his employer, Exxon-Mobil.
“At ExxonMobil, safety is always our top value. We’re honored to support Bike Baton Rouge’s efforts to provide additional bike lights to the Baton Rouge Police Department,” explained ExxonMobil Public & Government Affairs Manager Stephanie Cargile. “This donation is the result of hours volunteered by our employees, matched with grants from the ExxonMobil Foundation.”
After Cranksgiving, Bike Baton Rouge will host a dinner and awards ceremony.
Prizes, provided by Bike Baton Rouge as well as local bike stores and restaurants, will be awarded across three categories of riders - Fast, Fun, and Family. While the fastest riders in each category will receive prizes, there will also be prizes for those who spend the most, the least, and those who are the slowest. Bike Baton Rouge says that Cranksgiving is “only a race if you want it to be.”
bikebr.org/cranksgiving
https://www.facebook.com/events/1802618039978521/
Media are invited to preview or cover the event - call Mika Torkkola at 225 571 2906 or email bikebatonrouge@gmail.com for scheduling or information
Bike Baton Rouge is a local non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and has been dedicated to making bicycling trips in Baton Rouge safer and more enjoyable since 2006.
2015 Cranksgiving