After retiring from his demanding career as a partner for a national accounting firm, Eric Paton knew he still had lots to give \u2013 and to discover. Determined to keep learning new skills, he purchased a bike and began training for long-distance rides in his basement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat started as a personal challenge became something much bigger when I connected it to raising funds for Food Banks Canada,\u201d Eric explains. As a parent himself, he\u2019d been struck by a conversation with a school principal who told him he kept sandwich meat and bread in his office for kids who came to school without enough to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eric trained for three months indoors and two months outdoors before embarking on his first cross-Canada ride in support of Food Banks Canada\u2019s After the Bell program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe After the Bell program resonates deeply with me because it focuses specifically on kids, making sure children have access to nutritious food when school isn\u2019t in session. That\u2019s where my motivation started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the Bell provides 200,000+ nutritious, child-friendly food packs throughout the summer when school-centred supports are not available. <\/strong>The program fills a vital gap for children, who account for roughly 1 in 3 visits to food banks nationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think children are the most vulnerable in our society,\u201d Eric says. \u201cIt hurts when I think about kids going hungry and not having the energy to play with their friends, to physically and mentally grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eric travelled 8,150km in just 70 days, beginning his ride in Victoria and ending in St. John\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEvery day, I wanted to keep going to see more of Canada and meet more people,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThis ride is about using that experience to expand awareness of food insecurity and support both immediate needs and long-term solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he travelled from coast to coast, Eric was struck by the importance of food banks in every community he rode through. <\/strong>\u201cWhen you see that need repeated everywhere, it becomes clear this isn\u2019t a local issue, it\u2019s a national one,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The consistency of need across the country reaffirmed Eric\u2019s commitment to supporting Food Banks Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat stands out to me about Food Banks Canada is that they\u2019re not only responding to immediate needs. They\u2019re also building for the future by<\/p>\n\n\n\n strengthening systems, improving logistics, and ensuring food can move efficiently and safely across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The connections he made along the way encouraged Eric, and he came home feeling determined to continue raising both awareness of food insecurity and much-needed funds for food programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFood banks are under increasing pressure as demand continues to grow across Canada,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat I saw riding across the country confirmed that this challenge is truly national.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two years after his first journey, Eric is now planning to repeat the cross-Canada ride in support of Food Banks Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat excites me this time is the opportunity to support change at a systemic level,\u201d he shares. \u201cFood Banks Canada is doing more than reacting to demand. They\u2019re building places like food transformation centres \u2013 facilities where food can be handled quickly, efficiently, and safely, with no uncertainty about where essential services will take place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food Banks Canada supports a network of over 5,500 food banks and community organizations serving an estimated 3 million people annually.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eric is enthusiastic about the potential for more coordination of services coast to coast to coast. \u201cWhen food is processed and distributed efficiently, every donated dollar goes further because less food is lost, logistics are improved, and scale is achieved across the country,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s maintained his training regimen, cycling long distances in the basement throughout the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s about continuing to use my time and health for something meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked about his hopes for his next cross-country ride, Eric reiterates the importance of doing his part to address food insecurity. \u201cSuccess is knowing I didn\u2019t just repeat something I\u2019d already done, but I helped grow it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s passionate about partnering with Food Banks Canada to make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m genuinely excited about this direction, and I\u2019m happy to support this work in any way I can,\u201d Eric says. \u201cSupporting Food Banks Canada means helping people today and investing in solutions that make the system stronger tomorrow.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After retiring from his demanding career as a partner for a national accounting firm, Eric Paton knew he still had lots to give \u2013 and to discover. Determined to keep learning new skills, he purchased a bike and began training for long-distance rides in his basement. \u201cWhat started as a personal challenge became something much…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":47376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe First Ride<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Building Momentum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Looking Forward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n