Abby Rike, contestant from NBC’s The Biggest Loser, joined us at the Food Bank on 1/20 to help raise awareness for the Pound For Pound Challenge.

Rike, a North Texas native, overcame the unbelievable tragedy of losing her husband and two children in a car accident in 2006. After joining the cast of The Biggest Loser, Abby lost over 100 lbs, and told us that she feels “great.”

While she was here, our Public Relations Manager, Paige Phelps, took her on a tour of the warehouse. Abby marveled at the size of our 72,000 square foot warehouse, was excited about the Food 4 Kids program, and stopped by to chat with some participants in the Texas Second Chance program.

The Texas Second Chance program, coordinated with Dawson State Prison, provides job training opportunities for incarcerated women. When walking through the warehouse, Paige introduced Abby to these ladies, and their excitement was palpable! Abby chatted with the women for a few minutes, and gave them inspiration on making good choices once they are released, saying “every day is a new day. If you messed up yesterday, start again today. Life is about the choices you make. You can make good choices, or you can make bad choices. But every day is a fresh start, a chance to start all over again.” After hearing Rike’s words, many of the ladies were obviously affected – some with tears in their eyes.

Abby was also on hand to make a video encouraging YOU to join the Pound For Pound Challenge. The Challenge, working in conjunction with The Biggest Loser, encourages us to lose weight, get healthy, and feed the hungry in the process! For every pound you pledge to lose, General Mills will donate 14 cents to Feeding America – the cost of delivering one pound of food to a local pantry.

Check out this video of Abby here at the Food Bank! Then, log on to www.pfpchallenge.com to join her!