When Brooklynite Artie Carpenter decided to take a gap year this past July instead of starting his freshman year of college remote learning, he couldn’t have imagined the impact that decision would have on so many of his fellow New Yorkers.

Artie knew he wanted to do something big. He had been wanting to ride cross-country for a while and thought it would be a great fundraising opportunity. He had been hearing so much about food insecurity, that he decided to focus on a New York state-based organization that was addressing the problem. He chose Feeding New York State, the organization that leads a unified effort across New York state to address hunger and hunger issues and helps the state’s 10 food banks obtain more food by fostering awareness of their mission, encouraging donations and volunteer support, and creating partnerships to help alleviate hunger.

Artie started a Go-Fund-Me and took off from Brooklyn Heights on September 2. He rode for 25 days until he dipped his bike tire in the Pacific Ocean at Stinson Beach, California (north of San Francisco) on September 26. 84 donors cheered Artie on to the tune of $15,000.

To celebrate this great achievement, Artie met a tractor-trailer truck full of almost 1,400 NY State “Fresh to Go” Food boxes that were funded by his ride. In fact, the $15,000 he raised for Feeding New York State, pays for a semi and a half of these boxes – more than 2,000 boxes for New Yorkers in need.

We are overwhelmed by what one determined young man can achieve with two wheels.

The ride by the numbers:
· Days of the trip: 25 – September 2-26
· Miles Rode: 3,175
· Flat Tires: 16
· Money raised: $15,000
· Donors: 84
· Food Box shipments funded: 1.5
· Number of food boxes funded: At least 2,000
· Pounds of food for New Yorkers in need: 40,000