BIKE RIDE FOR WORLD HUNGER
Every summer our youth from Immanuel take part in a 200-plus mile bike ride to raise money and awareness for the fight against world hunger.
Bike Ride 2019
After about 220 miles, a lot of hills and curves and sleeping on church floors, we finally made it back home this afternoon from our 23rd annual Bike Ride for World Hunger trip!
We took off from Grace Lutheran in Tomahawk a little after 7 a.m. and finished in Rhinelander at about 11:30 a.m. — with just one water and snack break in between because we all just wanted to get home, shower and maybe take a nap.
It was an eventful week and we all had a fun time on this year's trip, even though it was a smaller group than in years' past. New riders this year included Peyton McCue, and Matt and Allie Johnson.
To start off the week we served at a soup kitchen — The Community Table — in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Monday. There we helped them get ready for a meal and helped to send out about a thousand donation letters. We also joined them in meal and conversation.
Also on Monday we traveled from Eau Claire to Chippewa Falls. Then on Tuesday went went from Chippewa Falls to Hannibal, Wisconsin.
On Wednesday we left Hannibal, Wis. for another small community of Rib Lake.
Thursday we traveled from Rib Lake to Tomahawk where we had the pleasure of serving at their Stewardship Event, which was fun and gave us the chance to meet some of their members. Their pastor will be retiring in September, so we would like to wish Pastor Mark Ziemer the best these next few months and in retirement!
This is going to be a week we're never going to forget. Thank you to everyone who followed us on this trip. It's not too late to donate, either. Just follow the link at the left below.
God's blessings to all of you!
*When giving electronically, please choose the Bike Ride for World Hunger option in the pull down menu.
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Bike Ride 2019: Day 5
A nice and sunny day to start Day 5 (Thursday, June 27) of the Annual Bike Ride for World Hunger today!
All of the kids and adults were up and ready to hit the road at 6:58 a.m. (are you surprised about that parents?).
The reason we got off to such an early start was to try and beat the rain and storms today.
We reached today's final destination at Grace Lutheran Church in Tomahawk just before noon and got to enjoy lunch and some swimming this afternoon. Swimmings is one of our favorite things to do on the bike ride — especially when it gets to be this warm outside.
All in a line
We helped out Grace Lutheran today by serving a meal to them during their Stewardship Event when their original servers became ill.
We got to share our story with them and it was a great time helping our neighbors and getting to meet their pastor and members.
Bike Ride 2019: Day 4
ELCA World Hunger Statistics
— 821 million people around the world - that's more than 1 in 10 - can't access the food they need to live active, healthy lives.
— According to the most recent estimates, 736 million people live in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 per day. That's 10 percent of the world's population.
— At some point in 2017 (the most recent year available), more than 40 million people in the U.S. were unsure where their next meal might come from.
Day 4 of the Annual Bike Ride for World Hunger brought plenty of sunshine for the riders as they made the short 38-mile trek from Hannibal, Wis. to Rib Lake, Wis.
The route today was easy with nice, smooth roads bike paths that were all nicely done!
Unlike yesterday where we met up with a few people along the route, today it was mostly farm animals. We tried telling a few cows about our bike trip, but we don't think they listened very well.
We would like to say thank you to everyone who is watching us on social media and on this page each day and tracking us. We got a very nice message from ELCA World Hunger representative Iain Chester (he visited us after the bike ride last year to accept one of our checks). Pastor read his message to use this morning before we got going and that put us in great spirits!
The group made it to Rib Lake early Wednesday afternoon and then walked downtown to check out the scenes and maybe even find some more ice cream. There's never a bad time for ice cream.
Just two more nights to go until we're home!
Feel free to send us messages via Facebook or at this email! We love hearing from everyone!
Bike Ride 2019: Day 3
If you follow us on Facebook, you'll know that Pastor gave the bike riders an assignment today: Share with someone that they meet on the bike ride about what they are doing on this bike ride. It a way for the youth and adult cyclers and the Immanuel congregation to see how far we can really reach.
The bikers talked a bike shop owner who was riding a retro bike with a kerosine lamp, another person they talked to was practicing for riding 400-plus miles in the near future, and a third was from a tiny town in Western Wisconsin (their population sign in Arnold, Wis. reads: 16?).
We can go way further than just our little city of Rhinelander. We've shared with people from Western Wisconsin, folks that are traveling around the country and so many more.
On the third day of the Bike Ride for World Hunger the bikers traveled from Chippewa Falls to Hannibal, Wisconsin (a small community in Taylor County). It was the longest trip of the week so far for the youth and they were tired afterwards.
We just have a few more nights left on this trip, it seems like it is just flying by!
So ... now the bikers have an assignment for you (our readers and our congregation members): "Tell someone that you meet this week about our bike ride and what our church does to help feed the hungry. It can even be someone that you do know, but might not know about our bike trip.
By The Numbers
7
Number of youth and adult bike riders on the ride this year.
2
Ice cream stops made so far?
16?
Smallest population community we've rode through so far (Arnold, Wis.)?
85.6
Average high for the next three days of the bike ride?
Number of miles put on so far, after Day 3.
103
Bike Ride 2019: Day 2
Today, Monday, June 24, 2019, the youth and adult riders on the annual Bike Ride for World Hunger had a short 20-mile bike ride from Eau Claire to Chippewa Falls, but they had good reason for the shorter ride today.
The group working the morning hours (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at the Community Table (soup kitchen) in Eau Claire. The group helped prepare some of the food and then also helped put together mailings that are important to get donations to the group.
The Eau Claire Community Table serves meals daily and last year served 45,000-plus mean (an average of 100-150 meals each day).
After serving at the Community Table, the group rode to Chippewa Falls, reaching Our Saviors Lutheran Church just as the rain started. To finish out the day, the group went for ice cream and visited the local zoo.
Tomorrow the bike riders travel to Gilman, Wisconisn, and it will be the longest travel day of the week with about 50 miles on the schedule.
Bike Ride 2019: Day 1
On Sunday, June 23, the three youth and four adult bike riders —and two sag-wagon drivers — from Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church took off on a 200-plus mile bike ride.
The ride began with the group leaving via cars from Immanuel following the Sunday services. They arrived at Riverside Park in Menomonie and then proceeded to bike 30-some miles to Eau Claire for the first stop on the trip.
The kids encounter vicious mosquitoes and some rain, but still had a fun first day, knowing they are raising money for the ELCA World Hunger and for the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry.
The ride continues Monday as they bike about 15 miles to Chippewa Falls. Why so short Monday? Because the bikers are starting their day by serving at The Community Table in Eau Claire making food and serving the hungry there.
The ride then continues Tuesday to Gilman, Wednesday to Rib Lake, Thursday to Tomahawk, and ending at Immanuel in Rhinelander at about noon on Friday.
We hope you can continue to follow us on our trip! To send words of encouragement to the riders, email us by clicking here.