How It Works
Cascade develops opportunities that allow our volunteers to get out on their bikes and become involved with the organizations and groups that are providing support to food-insecure members of their communities. These volunteer opportunities currently include delivering groceries for four local food banks to families and individuals all over Seattle, rescuing food from local grocery stores for food banks, as well as riding out to restock Little Free Pantries that provide neighborhood-level emergency food support. Cascade also organizes opportunities to bike fresh produce that is donated by local community gardens to food banks, bike sushi to food-insecure Asian communities in South Seattle, and deliver school supplies to elementary students in underserved communities.
Our History
One challenge resulting from the COVID pandemic was that many of the most vulnerable people in the community could no longer safely or comfortably access services like food banks the way they used to. In May 2020, inspired by Seattle's annual Cranksgiving food drive, Maxwell Burton, Amy Korver, and Michael Lang reached out to food banks and schools across Seattle.They offered support in the form of transporting food and other supplies to families in need, creating and expanding mutual aid networks all via the power of the carbon-zero bicycle. In that first year, PRP volunteers rescued 34,000lbs of food and delivered supplies to 2,800 households. The program was formally absorbed by Cascade in April 2021 following a year of tremendous growth, post-ride socials (fueled by donuts), and deeply impactful mutual aid.
Our Impact
- Since May 2020, Pedaling Relief Project volunteers have ridden out into communities 12,563 times. Collectively, we have carried valuable food and other supplies more than 37,689 miles -- all on our bikes. Our average miles traveled when making deliveries or pickups was 3 miles.
- We've biked more than 565 tons of food and personal care items out to more than 37,000 food-insecure neighbors from the White Center Food Bank, the Byrd Barr Place Food Bank, University District Food Bank, El Centro De La Raza Food Bank, Rainier Valley Food Bank, Ballard Food Bank, Mary's Place, P-Patch Community Gardens, and Alleycat Acres.
- We rescued more than 750,000 pounds of food from local grocery stores for the Byrd Barr Place Food Bank, the University District Food Bank, Hopelink's Bellevue Market, Asian Counseling and Referral Service, and Emerald City Food not Bombs -- all by bike. Much of that rescued food was immediately used to make no-cook meals for people without a kitchen.
- In 2020 and 2021 we delivered school supplies and books for 356 elementary school students from Graham Hill Elementary and Beacon Hill International Elementary. For the majority of the school families, it would have been prohibitively difficult to pick up the books and supplies from the schools due to work schedules and transportation barriers.
- By doing this all by bike rather than by car or truck, we kept more than 16.6 tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.
(updated July 2026)
Donate to the Pedaling Relief Project
Since its inception in Spring 2020, Cascade’s PRP has relied on private support to cover all costs. Your donation today will support volunteer recruitment, program sustainability, and the purchase (and maintenance) of trailers, bins, bungee cords, and everything else we need to connect our communities to each other.
Thank You to Our Partners
- Byrd Barr Place
- Rainier Valley Food Bank
- White Center Food Bank
- Emerald City Food Not Bombs
- University of Washington
- Burley