Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn Cranksgiving is a scavenger hunt food drive by bike that started in 2016. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate, and you can ride alone or with friends.

Our ride format is self-led with a "make your own route" style so you can choose how far and where you ride. We all start at the meeting point (Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy), where riders receive a "checkpoint" manifest that gives different options to stop at. The goal is to visit as many checkpoints as possible within the allotted timeframe, then all riders meet at the finish point to submit their completed manifest, where we'll distribute prizes. You can go in any order and follow whichever route you choose, and volunteers will be on hand to help you build your route if you need help.

Ride checkpoints might include solving a trivia question, finding a specific street mural, getting a picture with a certain kind of dog, or even singing karaoke. You can do as many or as few checkpoints as you want, depending on how far and how long you want to ride. Prizes will be awarded to riders/teams who visit the most checkpoints, accumulate the most points, post the best pictures on social media, have the best costumes, and exhibit the most team spirit, etc.

We recommend arriving early to check in, review the checkpoint manifest, and plan your ride. The ride will start at 1 pm, but we suggest arriving by noon to plan your route, especially if this is your first time doing the ride. There will be bathrooms at the start and at the end of the ride, and also at some of the checkpoints. To get a better idea of what the ride looks like, watch this video that Channel 12 news did about the ride.

The ride is free but we strongly encourage riders to donate as much as possible (at least $20) to support our food justice partners, who are doing great work in our community. This ride was inspired by the desire to provide meals to people in need around Thanksgiving, and because we recognize that supporting broader food access and justice initiatives are a more lasting solution than simply donating cans of food, we have chosen to have riders donate money directly to various food-focused initiatives.

The ride is open to everyone, and we invite riders of all skill levels. Casual riders are encouraged to attend, as are families. You can come as a group or do the ride on your own. We'll also do our best at the registration to pair up individuals who arrive alone but want to ride with a group. It's possible to do the ride on CitiBike though some of the checkpoints may not be right next to stations.

Costumes are not required (but we love to see riders get festive), and many riders make homemade Thanksgiving-themed hats or attire. We will also have an award for the best costume(s).

We are partnering with Bed-Stuy Restoration Corporation, which is committed to improving access to cycling and healthy food (among many other initiatives). The ride will start from their Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy and will benefit two organizations. One beneficiary will be Hattie Carthan Community Market and Garden, who we worked with last year, and who used money from last year's ride to expand their youth-operated bicycle blender program. Our other partner is Brooklyn Packers, a Black-led food sovereignty cooperative, which will be earmarking ride donations to support local BIPOC-owned farms and food initiatives they work with.

Registration via Eventbrite is required, both so we can gauge attendance to help prepare for the ride, and because participating in the ride means you agree to this participation waiver.

Stay connected with event updates by following us on Instagram @brooklyncranksgiving.

See you November 4th!