34% of Massachusetts households struggled with food insecurity in 2023, and that number is increasing, according to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Three Squares New England and UMass Boston professor Rick Kesseli aim to change that.
At Three Squares New England’s annual Ride for Food event, participants can ride bikes or walk a 5K to raise money for food pantries, community farms and food rescues across New England.
One of these food pantries is UMass Boston’s U-ACCESS Food Pantry. The UMass Boston team, led by Kesseli, is going on its 5th year, though the event has been ongoing since 2011. It is also the first university-connected team, and stayed strong when other teams at Brandeis and MassArt faded out.
Kesseli and his wife, who is the co-founder of Brookwood Community Farm, have participated in the ride for 11 years, starting a team in 2013. He formed the campus team with the hope of raising money for students struggling with food insecurity. “How can I hammer on my exams if they can’t even eat? It’s just a bad feeling,” he said.
This year, to many of his colleagues’ dismay, Kesseli will not be riding in the event due to illness. Fellow biology professor Adan Colon-Carmona has joined this year to help support Kesseli and the rest of the team in raising money.
“Over the years, the maximum we made was a little over $12,000 and the minimum has been a little over $7,000,” Kesseli said. “I see that we’re at something like 68 now, so $6,800. So I think we’ll easily make the seven and maybe more.” Kesseli said. As of Oct. 1, the team raised $7,654.
The 2024 team has 11 active members, including three undergraduate students and the director of U-ACCESS, Cara Cogliano.
Kesseli has taught biology at UMass Boston for more than 30 years. He is regarded highly in the community as someone who cares a lot about his students. Colon-Carmona, one of his close colleagues, affirms this idea.
“He’s been dedicated to the university, and it’s really a reflection of the love that he has for the university and for our students. And this year, you know, he’s been really a champion. Even though his illness has slowed him down, he’s still actively promoting this effort, and it’s really about supporting our students this whole time,” said Colon-Carmona.
The team accepts donations year-round via their website. Kesseli discouraged students from donating, urging donations only from those with money to spare.
“I really want to get more administrators in this. Why? Because they’re the ones that have the most money,” said Kesseli. “You know, faculty don’t have that much money. And certainly, graduate students and undergraduate students don’t have the money, which is why we’re trying to collect this money.”
Said Colon-Carmona, “It’s all about being able to address the issue of food security in many different communities across Massachusetts, and we just happen to focus on our students at UMass Boston because we do know that the need exists.”
