The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The 29th annual Tour de Franklin, a fund raising event for the Franklin Food Bank, is set for April 29.
The tour, one of the first organized bike ride of the season, takes off from Franklin High School, 500 Elizabeth Ave.
The day will consist of seven different rides, including the 62-mile, 40-mile, 25-mile, 10-mile, 1-to-5-mile walk or ride, and a 5-mile and 10-mile ride along Somerset’s scenic canal.
Ride start times are staggered throughout the morning, with riders returning to the high school for a community lunch at the end of their ride. T-shirts are guaranteed for all participants who register by April 1, and special T-shirts will be awarded to Silver Riders who raise more than $150 and Gold Riders who raise more than $300. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
The Tour de Franklin is the Franklin Food Bank’s largest fundraiser and a critical part of the Food Bank’s financial support, according to a press release about the event.. Nearly 800 riders – a record – signed up for teh event in 2017, raising nearly $80,000 for the Food Bank.
This is a substantial increase from the Tour’s humble beginnings in 1989 when 30 riders banded together to raise $1,500.
The Food Bank now feeds 1,800 families and processes more than 1.3 million pounds of food in its warehouse.
To learn more about the Franklin Food Bank and the Tour de Franklin, please visit the Food Bank’s website (www.FranklinFoodBank.org).
