HAMPTON, Va. — How would you like to ride a foil board for 19 miles across the Chesapeake Bay? Two men are doing that to help feed people in need.
Patrick Devine and Jason Brown, co-owners of Green wave watersports, are documenting what they hope will be an annual event.
“Our social media is going pretty crazy right now. It’s fun," Devine said.
Tuesday morning, they were joined by a small crowd, including members of the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, as they set off on their foil boards. They rode from Buckroe Beach to Kiptopeke State Park. It was a test of the technology’s limits, and for Brown, a way to combine his passion for foil boarding with his passion for the foodbank.
“I’ve done a lot of volunteering with the foodbank in the past as a teenager and as an adult," Brown said.
The two had been asking for $19 donations to the foodbank with an initial goal of raising $1,900. As of Wednesday morning, they had raised about $2,600.
“That actually equates to 7,000 meals," said Virginia Peninsula Foodbank Chief Development Officer Craig Gallaer.
The donations come at a time when, according to the foodbank, demand continues to increase every year. The foodbank said over 71,000 people on the peninsula are food insecure in 2026, 10,000 more than in 2025.
Watch: Lessons learned in 2025 will help food banks, pantries address needs in 2026
On top of that, school is about out for the summer. The summertime usually creates additional demand and is a time when donations tend to decline. The foodbank said Devine and Brown’s effort serves as an important reminder.
“It reminds us and it reminds our community that sometimes the best way to raise awareness is just to find a way to bring attention to the issue of hunger by doing what you love," Gallaer explained.
“If we can reach, it was like $3,333.34, we will hit a 10,000 meal number. I would love to be able to say we raised 10,000 meals," said Devine. "So I’m hoping that any traction we can get in this will help us at least get to that spot, because the more people we can help the better this thing turned out to be.”
They planned to collect donations through Memorial Day weekend. To donate, click here.
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