Hunger Hike participants gathered this past Sunday to to raise awareness and funds for food programs locally, regionally & globally — through the good work of Lafayette Urban Ministry, Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. and the Haiti Ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas.
The weather was perfect — and the “hike” along the Wabash River was pleasant and picturesque. The Kick-off event was highlighted by an inspiring keynote from Race Johnson, Purdue Football alumnus as well as remarks from our two Honorary Co-chairs, Dave Kucik, Purdue Crew & Rowing coach, and Nadine Morgan (for Sharon Versyp), Purdue Women’s Basketball coach. Remarks were also offered by Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski, West Lafayette City Council President Peter Bunder, Tippecanoe County Council President Tom Murtaugh and by Joe Micon, Lafayette Urban Ministry; Fr. Patrick Baikauskas OP, St. Thomas Aquinas Center; and Katy Bunder, Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. — our sponsoring organizations.
It began with the crowd cheering with the Purdue Cheerleaders & Purdue Pete and participating in Zumba with Miss Brooke & Kasie from Studio b Dance & Fitness. The US National Anthem was then sung by Jay Alan, Harrison High School senior and YouTube sensation. Throughout the entire event, there was live music by DJ Powder of Rat Pak Mobile DJs, face-painting & balloon animals from the Unlimited Smiles Clown Ministry, massages by Lee Anne Akers of Essential Touch Massage, and Voter Registration.
After a blessing from Fr. Patrick Baikauskas OP, the “hikers” were led by Purdue Pete, Purdue Cheerleaders, Purdue Crew Team and Purdue Women’s Basketball Team up the John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge and along the Wabash Heritage Trail. Hunger Hike concluded with a Celebration Picnic with hot dogs, chips & bottled water (courtesy of Texas Roadhouse, Sam’s Club & Aqua Systems).
Hunger Hike for the 26th straight year was successful in bringing much needed attention & funds to the battle against malnutrition, food insecurity & hunger — locally, regionally & globally.
Thanks to all who participated, raised funds, volunteered and donated.
Support Hunger Hike while you enjoy your meal at Texas Roadhouse . P resent the coupon to your server when you order and Texas Roadhouse will donate 20% of your purchase to Hunger Hike.
Hunger Hike gets 20% of your food sales — so, eat up!
Here are the Hunger Hike Fundraising Night details:
Hunger Hike Fundraising Night at Texas Roadhouse
Date: THIS Tuesday, September 25
Time: 4 to 10 p.m.
Place: Texas Roadhouse, 3615 SR 38 E, Lafayette
Please share this with others. THANK YOU.
The Texas Roadhouse Story
It all began on February 17, 1993, when Kent Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse in Clarksville, Indiana. Kent’s goal was to own not just a family restaurant and not just a steak restaurant, but a place where everyone, of all ages, could come and have a great meal and great fun for a great price.
We like to brag about our Hand-Cut Steaks, Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs, Made-From-Scratch Sides, and Fresh-Baked Bread. Everything we do goes into making our hearty meals stand out. We handcraft almost everything we serve. We provide larger portions so you get more food for your dollar. And if you want an Ice Cold Beer or Legendary Margarita to wash it all down — well, we have those, too.
Our food’s not the only thing that’s Legendary at the Roadhouse — our fun is too! From our line dancers to our jukebox to our friendly servers, you’ll enjoy every second you spend in a Texas Roadhouse.
At Texas Roadhouse our team has an incredible sense of pride in everything we do. Our passion ensures you have a Legendary Experience every time. Because of our passion for our guests and our communities, our team members are involved outside the restaurants in their local communities as a way to give back.
The Texas Roadhouse story is simple. Legendary Food, Legendary Service® — all with lots of Legendary Fun!
More than 60 runners and walkers participated in the 2018 Hunger Hike 5K Run this past Saturday. The Hunger Hike 5K Run is open to runners of all ages and abilities who share a goal: Fighting Hunger with their Hearts & Soles!
It was sunny and cool — a picture perfect day for a race. The Hunger Hike 5K Run 2018 followed the beautiful, paved Cattail Trail Loop through West Lafayette and the scenic Celery Bog Nature Area — giving runners and walkers an opportunity to support three local organizations while enjoying a professionally timed 5K event.
Pictured above L to R: Joe Micon, LUM executive director; Sheila Klinker, Indiana State Representative; Assemgul Bissenbina, #1 Female; Kyle Morales, #3 Female; Colin Frier, #1 Youth; Phoebe (Colin’s dog); Aauba Aditye, #1 Male; Sarah Sellers, #2 Female; Lucy Edmundson, #3 Youth; and Kenny McCleary, #2 Male.
Thanks to our donors – Awards Unlimited, Panera Bread – West Lafayette, and Pay Less Super Market – West Lafayette.
Hunger Hike QUICK LINKS:
Photos – Hunger Hike 5K Run; Photos – HH5K Run – Just the Runners
An estimated 26% of individuals who are considered food insecure live in households that earn incomes above 185% of the poverty line, making them likely ineligible for most federal nutrition assistance programs.
Food insecure adults are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure. They are also more likely to report mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, and poor general health. Seniors who are food insecure have a decreased capacity to maintain independence with aging.
Child Hunger Facts/Stats
1 in 5 children struggle with hunger
23,340, or 17.7%, of children in Food Finders’ service area struggle with hunger. In Tippecanoe County, alone, nearly 7,000 children struggle with hunger. More than a quarter of the 23,670 children do not qualify for federal nutrition programs, leaving Food Finders Food Bank’s programs as their only resource.
Children who face hunger are more likely to struggle in school and experience developmental setbacks. Kids who struggle to get enough to eat also face higher risks of health conditions like anemia and asthma.
In addition to decreased intellectual and emotional development and poor academic performance, children living in food insecure households are at higher risk of poor physical and mental health. They are substantially more likely to be diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia, asthma, mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, cognitive impairment, and behavioral disorders. They are also at higher risk of being hospitalized. These health problems and the resulting time demands placed on caregivers impact the ability of caregivers to maintain stable employment.
For more information on general hunger statistics, visit Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap site: click HERE
Senior Hunger Facts/Stats
Indiana has one of the highest rates of senior hunger, with 11.7% of seniors struggling with hunger–that’s 631,800 seniors in Indiana. Women are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, 6 out of every 10 food insecure seniors are women.
Seniors struggling with hunger often have to make the difficult decision between paying for rent, medication, or transportation and food.
For seniors, lack of access to healthy foods, or even a stable diet, can lead to life threatening medical conditions, such disability, deteriorating health/ mental health conditions, serious infections, lengthy hospitalization, and malnutrition. The number one health condition caused by food insecurity among seniors is clinical (severe/major) depression. For more information on senior hunger, read The State of Senior Hunger, click HERE.
Race Johnson, Purdue alumnus & former Boilermaker football player, will offer remarks to kick off this year’s Hunger Hike THIS Sunday, September 16 at 1:30 p.m. at Riehle Plaza (N 2nd Street, Lafayette). Throughout his life, Race has worked hard and has had a special commitment to serving his community as an individual, as an athlete and with his family and church — and he’s eager to share his story THIS Sunday.
Son of Bill & Jill Johnson, Race was born in Indianapolis and grew up in Carmel. Race has a younger brother, Steele, and younger sister, Hollyn. Steele is a diver at Purdue who has won four NCAA championships and a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.
A high school athlete, Race joined the Purdue football team as a walkon in 2013. He was an Academic All-Big Ten player who played in three games in 2015, and eight games in 2016. Race earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Purdue University (West Lafayette) in May 2017. He is currently a member of the Lugar Real Estate Team in Indianapolis.
Join us THIS Sunday to meet Race and hear his remarks at the Hunger Hike kick-off event at 1:30 p.m. (Riehle Plaza).
Introducing the Hunger Hike 2018 Co-Chairs Coach Sharon Versyp & Coach David Kucik
The Hunger Hike 2018 co-chairs are Purdue Coaches Sharon Versyp (women’s basketball) & Dave Kucik (men’s & women’s crew & rowing).
Coaches Versyp & Kucik are perfect ambassadors for Hunger Hike. Both have a high standard for their own work, hold their teams to a high standard and have a serious commitment to serving their community — especially in supporting food assistance and nutrition programs. As wonderful role models they will also be engaging the collegiate athletes on their teams in this Hunger Hike event.
Join us THIS Sunday to meet Coaches Sharon Versyp & Dave Kucik and hear their remarks at the Hunger Hike kick-off event at 1:30 p.m. (Riehle Plaza).
Hunger Hike is fortunate to get the support of many sponsors. All of the printing, food & drink, massage services, banners & trophies at Hunger Hike have been donated. Here are some of our generous donors:
Printing – Instant Copy Printing, Lafayette
Bottled Water – Aqua Systems, Lafayette
Hot Dogs – Texas Roadhouse, Lafayette
Chips – Sam’s Club, Lafayette
Water, Bananas, Granola Bars – Pay Less Super Market, West Lafayette
Trophies – Awards Unlimited, Inc., Lafayette
Massages – Essential Touch Massage, Lafayette
Face Painting – Smiles Unlimited Clown Ministry, Laffy-ette Chapter
At Hunger Hike on Sunday, September 16, there will be free hot dogs, bottled water, face painting and massages. At the HH5K Run on Saturday, September 15, there will be bagels, bananas, granola bars & bottled water available for all of the 5K run participants . Please thank our Hunger Hike sponsors by visiting them soon. For more information on Hunger Hike 2018, go to hungerhike.org.
Fighting Against Hunger with all of our Hearts & Soles!
| Hunger Hike – Kick-off Event | Sunday, September 16 | | Riehle Plaza | 2 p.m. |
| HH5K Run | Saturday, September 15 |
| Celery Bog Nature Area | 9 a.m. |
DJ Powder creates a fun, family friendly environment during registration and leading up to the kick-off of Hunger Hike from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 16 at Riehle Plaza.
Please join us and enjoy the music presented by DJ Powder of Rat Pak — and to support Hunger Hike — Fighting Hunger with our whole Hearts & Soles. For more information on Hunger Hike 2018, go to hungerhike.org.
Fighting Against Hunger with all of our Hearts & Soles!
| Hunger Hike – Kick-off Event | Sunday, September 16 | | Riehle Plaza | 2 p.m. |
| HH5K Run | Saturday, September 15 |
| Celery Bog Nature Area | 9 a.m. |
Each year at this time about 85% of the Hunger Hike goal has been reached. So it’s important that you still raise funds and give generously.
The Hunger Hike 2018 co-chairs are Purdue Coaches Sharon Versyp (women’s basketball) & Dave Kucik (men’s & women’s crew & rowing).
