On a beautiful fall morning, more than 350 bikers from all over eastern Massachusetts arrived at Nobles and Greenough School to fight hunger by participating in the Three Squares New England Ride for Food. Started in 2012, this 10- to 50-mile cycling event has raised more than $1.6 million for the benefit of its 18 hunger relief partner organizations.

Gaining Ground first participated in the event as a partner organization in 2016. This year was a record-breaking year in terms of number of riders and amount raised. The team included 31 individuals who raised more than $33,000. Under the leadership of Elaine Labrecque, people signed up and began their training and fundraising. Many non-riders provided incentives for riders, including covering registration fees, matching donations, and general support. It was truly a team effort.  

The majority of this year’s riders were new to the ride and even to Gaining Ground.  They joined the team knowing they were making a difference to neighbors who are food insecure.

• One first time rider offered to ride again and volunteer at the farm because he loved learning about Gaining Ground during the ride.
• Two riders recently celebrated birthdays and asked members of their community to donate to the ride instead of giving a gift
• One person decided to ride because of Gaining Ground’s partnership with Rosie’s Place, recently featured in the Concord Journal.  

Another big thank you to Elaine Labrecque for all of her work and leadership. We hope you all will consider joining next year’s team.