Kentucky pastor completes 850-mile ride to raise money for church food pantry

Pastor rides bike to raise money for food pantry

By: Sydney St. Claire

FRENCHBURG, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A Kentucky pastor is back home after completing an 850-mile bicycle ride from Eastern Kentucky to Florida to raise money for his church’s food pantry.

Pastor Rodney Coffey spent 11 days pedaling from Frenchburg, Kentucky, to Pine Island Beach, Florida, raising nearly $12,000 for the Dayspring Food Pantry through online and cash donations.

The ride was especially challenging for Coffey, who had both knees replaced last year. He spent months working with his doctor and physical therapist to prepare for the journey.

“Just because you have an injury or sickness or a knee replacement or hip replacement, you don’t have to give up,” Coffey said. “You don’t have to sit down. You can work through those things.”

Coffey began the ride Sept. 15, leaving from his church’s food pantry with his wife following behind in an RV. He traveled through four states, including the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.

Some days, Coffey rode more than 100 miles.

“When you climb a mountain for two hours straight, it’s no fun,” Coffey said. “But when you get to the top, what a blessing it is to know what you accomplished.”

Along the way, people followed Coffey’s journey online, praying for him, sharing his videos and donating to the food pantry.

For Coffey, the ride was about more than raising money. He wanted to draw attention to the needs of people facing hunger in Kentucky and show that physical setbacks do not have to prevent someone from pursuing a goal.

“The biggest blessing is to get the word out that there’s people that’s still hungry, there’s people that need help and they wanted to be a part of that,” Coffey said.

The Dayspring Food Pantry serves roughly 400 to 600 families and relies entirely on donations and volunteers. The money raised by Coffey’s ride will help the pantry purchase food and supplies and, hopefully, replace its aging truck.

Coffey said the pantry’s mission goes beyond providing meals.

For him, it is also about showing people they are cared for.

Donations to the Dayspring Food Pantry are still being accepted. Coffey hopes his ride will continue to raise awareness about the need for food pantries and hunger relief in Kentucky.