The GSF Foundation hosted its third annual national bike building event on Saturday, May 16. This year, 26 Golden State Foods (GSF) and Quality Custom Distribution (QCD) facilities participated in 20 events throughout the country. Nearly 1,000 bikes were built, with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers, all driven by a common purpose to provide deserving school-aged children from local Boys and Girls Clubs, military families and elementary schools with their own, and often first, bikes.For the second year, the 2015 national bike building event fell on Armed Forces Day, which aligns with GSF’s mission to give back to men and women who are actively serving or have served in the military. To commemorate, a few locations took special measures to honor veterans, such as incorporating a moment of silence and giving bikes away to children of veterans, with the help of organizations like Wounded Warriors and Fallen Soldiers. Additionally, some locations hosted the event on a military base, like the Joint Base at Lewis-McChord in Washington.
“The GSF Foundation is proud to serve our communities in the same way that we serve our customers, through lasting relationships, dedication and commitment,” said Mark Wetterau, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Golden State Foods and Chairman of the GSF Foundation. “Seeing our associates come together with our business partners and customers to give back to the children in our neighborhoods through the annual bike building program is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role as Chairman.”
To date the GSF Foundation along with thousands of volunteers have provided new bikes to more than 3,000 deserving school-aged children across the country. The bike building program teaches safety, goal setting and the value of hard work, and helps a child develop his or her sense of self-reliance, adventure, strength and character. The success of the bike building program is due in large part to the partnerships formed over the years, including the help and support of local bike shops and law enforcement that act as a resource for future tune-ups and safety lessons.