A bike ride between Salt Lake City and Provo can sometimes be lonely.
Last year, the mayors of Salt Lake City and Provo started a friendly competition to encourage people to donate to the annual food drive as part of Rivalry Week between the U and BYU. The mayor of the losing team’s city will have to ride to the opposite city8212;a distance of about 45 miles8212;where the winner of the food drive will be announced.
“It’s a way of celebrating the camaraderie between the two schools and drawing attention to an important need, and that is stocking the shelves of the local food banks in each city,” said Helen Anderson, a public information officer for Provo City.
Last year, the U dominated on the field, forcing Mayor Lewis Billings of Provo to bike from Provo’s city hall to the Salt Lake City-County Building. Mayor Ralph Becker of Salt Lake City rode alongside Billings to show his support for both the opposing mayor and the food drive.
The competition takes place at a time of desperate need of supplies by the Utah Food Bank, as supplies are usually low this time of year, when there is a high demand, Anderson said.
The Utah Food Bank has reported that nearly 350,0000 Utahns will miss their next meal because of a lack of resources.
The ride is an enthusiastic way to encourage people to participate in the food drive, said Bianca Shreeve, Becker’s executive assistant.
The U Student Alumni Board8212;a board within the U Alumni Association that organizes the food drive8212;is selling “Beat BYU” T-shirts at the U bookstore for $10, all of which will go toward the food drive.
“It’s really neat to see that there are so many students and business professionals and people from all backgrounds that are rallying behind their favorite football teams, but also for a cause that transcends every generation,” said Jessica Pugh, a spokeswoman for the Utah Food Bank. “We are seeing such a huge increase in the requests for food assistance, so to have such significant food and financial contributions means a lot to us and the families who are served by our organization.”