A Fraser Valley-based charity is asking residents to gear up for charity.
This fall, the Cloverdale Community Kitchen is asking community members to take part in The Ride For Refuge, a fundraising event that will raise support for CCK and other charities in the Fraser Valley that “provide refuge and hope for some of the most vulnerable people on Earth.”
The family friendly cycling and walking event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5.
If you’re wondering why the ride is scheduled for the fall, when cold, rainy weather is a likely probability, it’s designed that way for a reason. According to Ride for Refuge, the “experiential event” is meant to “give participants a very small taste of what it’s like to be seeking refuge. It’s designed to be challenging — both in distance traveled and weather endured.”
Organizers estimate that thousands of people will take part in the ride again this year, in more than 29 cities across the country.
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The Ride for Refuge is a “day of solidarity” for Canadians to unite — “every push of the pedal and every stride we take powers the future for those who otherwise have no safe place and no one to defend them,” reads the event website.
“Your participation in the Ride is a way to stand up for those whose lives are deeply and often permanently affected by forces and events they can’t control.”
The Fraser Valley ride will support the Cloverdale Community Kitchen, which serves more than 12,000 meals a year to those in need. The funds raised for the kitchen through the Ride for Refuge “will keep our kitchen operating, and will help us continue to provide food and care to those in need in our community,” said organizer Courtney van den Boogaard.
The event will also assist 20 other charities throughout the valley that serve refugees, migrants, disadvantaged youth, homeless people, victims of abuse, and other vulnerable populations.
The ride will begin and end at the Cloverdale Community Kitchen, located at 5337 180 Street in Surrey. Participants will register at the kitchen, turn in their fundraising results, and return at the end of the morning walk or ride to take part in a celebration lunch. Every participant has the choice of walking a 5-km route, or cycling a 10, 25, 50 or 110-km route.
Van den Boogaard said that this year they expect about 60 teams and 400 people to take part to help them reach their fundraising goal of $100,000.
Registration is open now. For more information, check out the event page at rideforrefuge.org/location/fraservalley.
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