Feeding San Diego teams up with local professional cyclists to make a big impact
UPDATE: Jess, Sam and Friends collected 1,800 pounds of food at the Encinitas food drive on April 17! Since it was such a success, they will be hosting a second bike/drive-thru food collection at the Union Co-Work San Marcos location, where they will push to collect 2,000 pounds of food.
Date: Friday, May 8 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Address: Union Co-Work San Marcos: 251 N City Dr, St. 128F, San Marcos, CA 92078
***
By Lucy Loughridge, Student, Francis Parker Upper School
Hundreds of thousands have found themselves unemployed and more families now struggle to put food on the table for their children. As hunger rises, volunteers trapped at home are looking for new ways to make a difference. Professional cyclist and Encinitas local, Jess Cerra was one individual who rose to the challenge. With the help of another local professional cyclist, Sam Boardman, she spent nearly a month planning and working out the logistics to host a contact-free food drive next Friday, April 17th at Union Cowork Encinitas.
“I think people are really missing the feeling of doing something together, of being a community,” says Cerra. “I think even driving or biking through and just being able to wave makes the community feel really good while also being impactful.”
At 37 years of age, Cerra has started a private chef company geared towards athletic individuals, become a professional cyclist, and involved herself in the organization No Kid Hungry under an affiliate by the name of Chef Cycle. Her past work with promoting nutrition and physical activity in low-income communities was one of many factors that sparked her passion to begin the upcoming project.
“It’s been hard as the guidelines for shelter-in-place and social distancing have evolved over the past couple of weeks,” Cerra says. “I’ve had to adjust the food drive to make it 100% safe and make sure it’s following all the state and federal guidelines while representing Feeding San Diego.”
Held at 111 C Street in Encinitas from 10 AM – 2 PM, the contact-free food drive will be conducted by no more than five volunteers, each under strict instruction to not touch any of the donations before they are delivered to Feeding San Diego. With the help of Union Cowork’s sponsorship and Cerra’s newfound partnership with Feeding San Diego, she hopes to have over 1,000 people donate and says it is likely there will be another drive in May if the COVID-19 pandemic further intensifies.
“My sister and I were raised by a single parent,” says Cerra. “My mom was a cleaning lady, and we were often food-deprived or we would eat whatever food was left over from the houses and vacation condos that she would clean. That was one of the biggest reasons I became involved.”
Cerra’s own experience with hunger was yet another driving force in the ambition she has developed for this project. Her personal connection to those that are food insecure gives her an element of empathy that many volunteers do not share.
“I understand that as a kid, when a community steps up and helps you, it changes your self-esteem,” Cerra says. “It changes your self-worth, and it motivates you.”
Cerra hopes that her connections in the athletic world will inspire other athletes to replicate her idea and conduct their own food or fund drive wherever they may be. She has been in communication with several individuals, some of whom have agreed to use her project as a model if it proves successful. Cerra’s passion and dedication, aligned with the help of generous food donors and a few selective volunteers, have equipped her with all that she needs to do her part during the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even the smallest impact can be long-lasting in a time like this.
