Photos By Ryan Huff / McClatchy Tribune
A group of nine students from a nonprofit management class have taken a common hobby of theirs, hiking, and combined it with the Bulldog Pantry to create the event Hike for Hunger.
Hike for Hunger is intended to raise hunger awareness in the Central Valley through the student-run organization Bulldog Pantry.
The Hike is going to take place June 10 at Yosemite National Park where the hikers will climb Half Dome.
Co-founder and project manager Jason Van Pelt knew that the hike needed to be at Half Dome right away.
“We chose Half Dome because we wanted this event to be unique and representative of what the area has to offer,” Van Pelt said. “With Yosemite National Park just a short drive away, we wanted to hike the premier Half Dome trail since the conception.”
The event is open to the public and participants do not have to be experienced to sign up for the hike.
“We have three hiking levels with recommended stopping positions for each level,” Van Pelt said. “People are welcome to hike as far as they wish; we have team leaders that will stay with each group to make sure no person is alone on the trail.”
Hikers are required to register for the event by May 14. There is a fee for the hike, but the proceeds go to the Bulldog Pantry and hikers receive a commemorative T-shirt.
“The Bulldog Pantry is the student-run food pantry directly across from the Fresno State campus. And this being a student-run event, the Bulldog Pantry was the perfect partnership for the Hike for Hunger,” Van Pelt said. “We all felt so passionately about the cause and the event that each of us has continued on a second semester to see the event through.”
Van Pelt said hikers will also benefit from the sense of accomplishment after completing the hike.
“The hike itself is difficult, but overall it is very rewarding,” Van Pelt said. “What makes the Hike for Hunger unique is the opportunity to hike with fellow students, faculty and staff that share the desire to help a local nonprofit fight hunger in the Central Valley.”
Co-founder and project management team member Nick Eldred shares the passion for the cause, but has another reason why he wanted to climb Half Dome.
“Since my first time hiking, which coincidentally was the Half Dome trail, I’ve had the urge to hike that same trail once a year,” Eldred said. “I hiked that trail four times last year and of course look forward to this trip.”
Eldred also hopes that the hikers will take away something personal from this experience and continue supporting Bulldog Pantry.
“I hope they take away a sense of commitment and a personal tie to the Bulldog Pantry,” Eldred stated. “It would be great to make the hike an annual source of funding for the Pantry.”