| Annually since 1973, cyclists have been pedaling across Iowa in a week-long bicycle-touring event called RAGBRAI.
And annually for over 20 years, Pork Belly Ventures (PBV) has been supporting thousands of RAGBRAI cyclists by offering charter services: luggage transfer, tent setup, food, entertainment, showers, bathrooms, and beds (for those who don’t want the camping experience). Until now. The 48th RAGBRAI has officially been cancelled for 2020. PBV founders Tammy and Pete will undoubtedly struggle – RAGBRAI is their predominant source of income. And while they are reinventing their business, they’ve found some innovative and generous ways to help… Not only have they offered instant and full refunds to anyone who has already registered… they also donated their trailers to three hospitals. Why? Because they learned that medical workers are putting in long hours, sometimes unable, or unwilling to go home between shifts. They are desperate for rest. Last week Tammy and Pete stationed PBV hotel trailers, shower trailers, and bathrooms outside of Mercy Hospital and Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. And their agreement with the hospitals? No cost and no time limit. Mr. Rogers would be heartened! Fred Rogers, host of the children’s television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood once shared: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day I am always comforted by realizing that there are so many caring people in this world.” How can you be a helper?
We all have something to offer and some way to help… we just need to shift our focus from our circumstances to our contributions. |