Burns Lake resident Ed Peters is a mountain biking enthusiast who will be competing in Big Pig Festival's 'dante's inferno enduro race' to raise money for the Lakes District Food Bank.
Dante’s inferno enduro race consists of 10 laps of 10 km, for a total of 100 km. Peters is gathering pledges of support for each lap he completes on Aug. 13, 2016.
"I ventured the race once and I completed four out of seven laps at that time. Although I've been training since then, it is a bit of a stretch for me," he said. "We'll see how this goes; it's not a given that I'll be able to do all 10 laps."
As a pastor at the Island Gospel Island Church, Peters said this fundraiser combines two of his passions - mountain biking and feeding the hungry.
"I wanted it to be something for the community, and as a church, one of our goals is to help feed the hungry," he said. "Even though this is a personal initiative, it matches with our goals as a church."
"I believe the food bank does an important work," he continued. "The food bank serves many families in our community - they distribute an average of 100 food boxes each time they are open (usually twice a month); their ability to meet this need depends largely on support from the community."
Peters said another reason to support the food bank is because in order for them to apply for grants, they need a large donation base.
"So if there's not enough support from the community for the food bank, they don't get the grants and that makes a huge difference for them," he said.
Candice Little, coordinator of Lakes District Family Enhancement Society - group that runs the Lakes District Food Bank, said she was grateful for his initiative.
"We are so grateful to community members, like Ed Peters, who invest their heart in supporting fellow Lakes District residents who face challenges and need support in obtaining adequate food security," she said.
Peters said he expects to raise approximately $1000 and that he hopes this fundraiser will become an annual event.
If you would like to support his endeavour, you can find pledge forms at Curly Temple Hair Salon, at the Island Gospel Fellowship Church or at Burnt Bikes. You can also call 250-692-7551 or e-mail igf@telus.net saying how much you would like to pledge per loop.
After the event, Peters will call each person individually to let them know the total distance he was able to ride.