MINDEMOYA—The second annual bicycle ride that Manitowaning resident Joseph Caulfield took this past Sunday to provide badly needed food items for the Manitoulin Food Bank in Mindemoya was again a huge success!

“This is beautiful. It is amazing,” stated Terry MacKenzie, interim food bank supervisor with Manitoulin Family Resources. “We are always running out of the food and extras that people need.”

Mr. Caulfield drove from Manitowaning to Mindemoya this past Sunday morning, with Ray Corbiere of M’Chigeeng First Nation riding (who just recently had a knee replaced) along with him for half of the distance.

While the actual number of non-perishable food and other supplies may have gone down a few items this year (just under 400), “I think this year we have a lot more variety of items (with non-perishable food items, toothpaste and other personal supplies being provided by local residents) and the bins are definitely heavier.”

Again, Mr. Caulfield said he is very grateful for the generosity of local residents in donating items for the cause. 

Mr. Caulfield again this year requested that Island residents, both permanent and seasonal, provide non-perishable food items that were presented to MFR for the food bank. He and his wife Katharine moved to Manitoulin in May 2024. As he did last year, he had six food box bin locations set up along the route from Manitowaning to Mindemoya, thanks to support to set up the bins at the Guardian Pharmacy, Home Hardware and Canada Post Corporation with the bins set up at all six locations in the two communities. As well as the food bins, residents had the option of leaving food items by their mailboxes on the day of the ride to be picked up by a truck accompanying Mr. Caulfield, with his wife Katharine and Cole Bowerman, an Assiginack township volunteer firefighter, manning the truck.

Mr. Caulfield, who owns a bicycle company on the Island, Bike Whizzards, grew up in London, England. When he and his wife moved into their home in Manitowaning, they found that the previous owners had left many good items like kayaks and food, which they donated to the food bank.

The annual ride will take place on the same weekend every year, the Labour Day long weekend.