Birthday hike evolves
into Mary's Meals fundraiser

By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

Turning 75 years old this year, Dale Heider of Humboldt wanted to do something special to mark the occasion – something with a purpose.

Having hiked the Grand Canyon with his long-time friend Dave Lensing twice before, Heider decided that’s what he wanted to do to mark his milestone birthday.

“It’s one of the most beautiful spots on the planet as far as God’s creation and then it’s such a rush when you accomplish it because it’s a beast of a hike,” he said. “I just love the place.”

But this isn’t just going to be a hike, the Sept. 25 rim-to-rim trek will be used as a fundraiser for Mary’s Meals USA.  They will start at north rim and make the 26-mile hike to the south rim in one day.

It was in June when Heider got the idea to turn the hike into a fundraiser because three things happened in one day that inspired him to want to help the less fortunate.

On that June day he was planning to ride the trails on a bike path north of Des Moines. In the morning, he had stopped at the Post Office and the woman in front of him didn’t have enough money to pay her postage so he helped her out.

“Then as I was going down the bike trail and a man had all of his things going down the bike trail. The third thing, I had finished the ride and another man was laying on the ground in a blanket. He looks like he is there for the evening,” recalled Heider. “I thought, here these three things happened, it was a sign to help people.”

As he drove home, that’s when he came up with the idea of turning the upcoming Grand Canyon hike into something for a cause.

“I needed to do something, I just couldn’t hike the canyon,” stressed Heider, noting that during the one-hour drive home from the bike trail he not only came up with the idea to use the hike as a fundraiser for Mary’s Meals but also made a few calls and raised $300.

His buddy Lensing had not only been up for the hike in celebration his friend’s 75^th birthday but was equally supportive of raising money for Mary’s Meals.

“We’ve done multiple things together through the years,” said Lensing, who liked the idea of making this hike for a cause. “You put a lot of effort into it, you have to train and build yourself up to do it. If you have a purpose and cause, it is a motivator and has more meaning.”

Besides both men having a love for the Grand Canyon, they both are parishioners at St. Mary Parish in Humboldt, are members of the parish finance council and are fourth degree Knights of Columbus. They have worked on a lot of projects together to help others and they even took a mission trip to Tanzania a few years back.

“We spent a couple of weeks with people who did not have the opportunity we have with children. What more worthy, noble cause is there than helping others when we have so much? We are so blessed,” said Heider. “It is so fulfilling to share in our blessings.”

He pointed out he had learned about Mary’s Meals at Christ Our Life Conferences held inMalawi school feeding program. Des Moines and liked the concept they used to help children in third world countries.

“They educate the young so they can help themselves get out of this cycle of poverty. I think that’s the best way to do it,” Heider said. “The idea is that these kids have to come to school to get the meal.”

According to Terry Bonet, executive director of Mary’s Meals is a global school feeding charity that provides nutritious meals to children in a place of education.

“By working with communities in 17 countries to deliver the school feeding program, children can gain an education that can help break the cycle of poverty and hunger. Today, we feed more than 2.4 million children every school day in some of the world’s poorest communities,” she said.

Bonet mentioned the organization is fortunate to have supporters around the world who choose to support Mary’s Meals in a way that is meaningful to them and they are very appreciative of everyone’s creative efforts.

“For Dale and Dave, hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim is quite special and obviously a rigorous undertaking. We think this is the first Grand Canyon hike fundraiser for Mary’s Meals, and we’re excited to cheer them on Sept.25,” she said. “What an amazing way to mark a significant birthday! It’s such a thoughtful gesture to think of the children of Mary’s Meals. Especially this year, as hunger, conflicts, and economic and climate crises are impacting so many places, the need is greater than ever. We’re so grateful to Dale and Dave as they prepare for the trek of a lifetime.”

While Heider’s birthday was May 31, it took a while to get things lined up for the hike and prepare themselves physically.

The two have been preparing for the hike this summer, walking a lot of hills and biking.

“Just this morning, I walked 200 flights of stairs, which is about 3,800 feet,” said Lensing, the youngster of the duo at age 67. “That’s the type of thing you have to do. I’ve hiked 12 miles several times in the last few weeks and try to get out to walk at least five miles a day. Biking is also helpful – physical activity.”

He anticipates the hike will start at about 5 a.m. and conclude at 9 or 10 p.m. The last time the two hiked the Grand Canyon was two years ago, the last week of September.

“The end of summer you are more physically fit because you are more active in the summer. The other thing, you have to be able to get a (hotel) room on the north rim. Those rooms are very difficult to get,” said Lensing. “The other thing, it is better to go early spring or in the fall because of the temperatures.”

With their trip two years ago, they headed out on north rim at 35 degrees and at the bottom of the canyon it was upper 90s.

“If you give us a buck a mile, you will be able to feed one child for a year,” said Lensing. “The last hike, my iPhone recorded about 54,000 steps. If you want to give a penny a step, you can feed two children for the year.”

Bonet said it costs Mary’s Meals just $25.20 to feed a child for an entire school year.

“For children living in countries impacted by conflict and crisis, school feeding provides a lifeline and is a simple solution to hunger that also provides access to education,” she said.
To learn more about our mission and work, we invite people to visit us at www.marysmealsusa.org. 

Mary’s Meals created a fundraising page for this hike. So far, they have raised about $3,000 for Mary’s Meals. To support this effort, go to Dave and Dale Hiking the Grand Canyon R2R - Fundraising - Mary's Meals (marysmealsusa.org).

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