The annual fundraiser bike ride for urban farming collective Alleycat Acres is May 10, and registration is open now.
A 65-mile ride around Lake Washington and to the Snoqualmie River, Streets & Beets has a history of being many people’s first ever long group bike ride. In 2012, 64 percent of riders were women.
The ride is the major source of funds for Alleycat Acres, which runs an expanding number of small urban farms in Seattle (two in the Central District and one on Beacon Hill so far). This year’s ride includes new partnerships with the MLK YWCA and Rainier Valley Food Bank.
It costs $25 to register (to pay for the ride itself), and riders are urged to raise at least $100 in donations by the start of the ride.
More details from Alleycat Acres:
And we’re off! Alleycat’s annual fundraising bike ride brings in the dollars that keep our farms running. 100% of our annual budget (~$13,000) is generated by Streets+Beets. This funding allows us to offer free produce to anyone that shows up and volunteers + provide fresh veggies to local food justice organization (the MLK YWCA and Rainier Valley Food Bank), pays for water/seeds/tools, and invent up compelling projects like our MLK greenhouse/chicken coop. We also pay property taxes on select farms, which enable those locations to remain in the hands of community members who have lived there for generations.
IMPORTANT DETAILS
By signing up, you’ll try your best to raise at least $100. Details here.
The route this year takes riders ~65 miles up-and-around Lk Washington, out to the Snoqualmie River and back via the I-90 bridge. Check out a map of the route here.
Streets+Beets is a rare ride in that it attracts riders of all stripes. More than half our riders identify as women. For most participants, S+B is the longest ride of their lives.
The ride is fully supported. We’ll have two cars on-route along with bike mechanics to help you fix a flat or get a chain reset.
There will be 3 rest stops along the way stocked with water, fruit and energy bars. These will be spaced ~20 miles apart.
Registering for the ride includes a sweet after party at HUMBLE PIE where pizza, beer and a preview of a potential new Alleycat farm awaits.
You can buy a ticket just for the after party if you want and still help fundraise using our Crowdrise site. Details here.
As in past years, I’ll be on the ride. Help me get to my $100 goal by donating below: