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Mini Takes on Hunger as it Takes The States

Mini steps can lead to big change. That’s what Mini Takes the States 2016 hopes to prove as they partner with Feeding America to provide 800,000 meals to families in need.

MTTS kicked off in Atlanta, GA last weekend with a team of parachutists jumping toward MINI convertibles filled with food donations. They asked rally attendees to “jump in” and help end hunger in America before heading north to their next stop in Charlotte, NC.

Over 15 days, thousands of MINI drivers will travel from Atlanta to Palm Springs, CA, stopping in 14 different cities along the way. Using #DefyHunger, MINI is raising both awareness and donations for Feeding America.

MTTS is collecting money and food donations for Feeding America through registration fees and onsite donation collections. Drivers are encouraged to set up their own unique fundraising pages, where goals met are rewarded with badges to attach to their cars on the drive. Yesterday Mini revealed that a total of 813,373 meals had been provided. And, with another seven days to go before the tour reaches California, they are confident that the final total will exceed one million meals.

MTTS runs north from Atlanta to Pittsburgh, before turning west through Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The trip continues southwest through Colorado and Utah, spending its final days in Las Vegas and Palm Springs.

You can find the full schedule, with current info here.

Rides and Drives founder and Editor in Chief, Harvey Briggs will be meeting up with the event in Park City, Utah and will drive to the event’s conclusion in Palm Springs, California. He will share his experiences along the road on Twitter and Instagram.

Carolyn Briggs

I grew up on the road. As a child, my family took regular trips from Wisconsin to both coasts. That's how I've seen most of this country — through the window of a car. Years later, I still feel that excitement when I toss my bags in the trunk and get behind the wheel. That's how seeing something new always begins. I've scaled mountains, dived with sharks, and stepped to the very edge of the Grand Canyon, all because I spent hours in a car. This site combines my passion for the road with my actual talent — communication and journalism. In college I rose to the position of managing editor for The Badger Herald, the largest independent student newspaper in the country at the time. I spent a year after graduating in social media marketing before moving off the grid to explore the wild beauty of West Virginia.