(Courtesy of JFCS) Inspired by Nesya Bayewitz’s 2019 bat mitzvah team, three teenagers chose to work with Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Northern New Jersey for their bar mitzvah projects titled, Wheels for Meals: Ride to Fight Hunger. The campaign will take place on Sunday, June 14.

“I love to ride my bike,” one teen, Gregory Michaels, said. “During quarantine, I have spent more time on my bike than ever before. For the past few years, my family and I have done the 10-mile bike course on the Ride to Fight Hunger.”

In addition to raising money for the ride, Michaels has also spent time stocking the Teaneck JFCS food pantry. He and his family have been delivering kosher meals to home-bound seniors on a weekly basis.

Maddie Brooks, another teen who is including JFCS in her bat mitzvah celebration through the Wheels for Meals: Ride to Fight Hunger campaign, has been participating in the JFCS bike ride for several years. She used to ride her tricycle in the parking lot while her siblings rode the longer bike routes. Now that she is older, Brooks has chosen to lead her own bike team, “Moving with Maddie,” in honor of her bat mitzvah.

Families who choose to include the annual bike ride as part of their children’s celebrations are often looking for a meaningful bar or bat mitzvah project that speaks to their child’s interests. Laurence Geyer, whose daughter Avigayil is also celebrating her bat mitzvah through the ride, said. “We both share the love of biking and JFCS offered us an amazing way to spend time together and do a mitzvah.”

Leading a team for the JFCS ride is an interactive way to do good and teach children about the importance of community work and helping those who are less fortunate. That need has been growing due to COVID-19. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the overall use of JFCS services, including a 53% increase in Meals on Wheels deliveries, 30% increase in food pantry visits and a 20% increase in therapy requests. The money raised from the ride will fund JFCS’s essential services that target vulnerable populations in our local communities.

This year the ride itself has also been impacted by the crisis and has gone virtual. Riders can bike or walk with members of their families or teams in a place and at a time that they feel is safest. Participants may also ride individually by creating their own route or following one of last year’s 10, 25 or 50-mile routes (the details of which can be found on the ride website).

A Zoom class will be offered at nine o’clock that morning, by two-time USA National Cycling Champion Mara Miller to registrants who have a stationary or training bike at home.

“Even though we can‘t ride together this year, it is more important than ever to raise funds to support those in need during this challenging time,” said Shari Brooks, Maddie’s mother.

Join Gregory, Avigayil and Maddie and their teams on June 14 and ride to fight hunger. Register, donate or find more information at www.ridetofighthunger.com�or call 201-837-9090.�