Jewish cross-country bike riders finishing food awareness trek in DC

NEW YORK (JTA) — Twenty-nine Jewish cyclists who rode across America to raise awareness about sustainable food systems will finish their trek in Washington.

After nearly two months on the Hazon Cross-USA Bike Ride, the participants are scheduled to arrive in the nation’s capital on Wednesday. They have raised more than $120,000 in support of sustainable food systems.

The cyclists have stopped in 13 states to meet farmers, policymakers, rabbis and others to discuss the food system in the United States and the upcoming Farm Bill in Congress.

The Cross-USA Ride is organized by Hazon, a leading faith-based environmental organization and a driving force behind the growth of the Jewish Food Movement.

“The Jewish community has always cared about social justice — and we’ve always loved food,” said Nigel Savage, Hazon’s founder and executive director in a statement. “In the summer in which the Farm Bill is being considered by Congress, people need to know how strongly many people in the Jewish community feel about sustainable food systems.”

In addition to the fundraising, the riders visited an ethanol plant, toured a grain elevator and windmill farm, and volunteered at bike shops and soup kitchens.