BY KAREN BOSSICK
Sun Valley Tour de Force had to cancel its annual car event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the organization didn’t cancel its anticipated gift to The Hunger Coalition, which was to have been the beneficiary of this year’s event.
Fans and supporters—many of them outside Idaho—have donated $15,000 to the Coalition to ensure that the food insecure in the Wood River Valley will not go hungry.
Maya Blix, who co-directs the Tour de Force with Whitney Werth Slade, said they had been heartbroken that they wouldn’t be able to make the anticipated donation to The Hunger Coalition using proceeds from the event, especially in a time of such extreme need.
“But Sun Valley Tour de Force fans see the value in supporting the community where they recreate and enjoy time with their family and friends.”
The Hunger Coalition served more families during the first month of the coronavirus pandemic than it did during the entire year of 2019. Numbers have decreased a bit in recent weeks but are still two to three times the number originally served.
And the numbers aren’t expected to drop any time soon.
The organization made the gift with the help of Sun Valley Tour de Force donors and longtime supporters, including Dave and Lara Stone, owners of the Sun Valley Auto Club, and Kevin and Whittnee LaChapelle, who have driven their audio R8 more than 200 miles per hour in the event’s high-speed event.
“I was born in Sun Valley in the Moritz hospital and spent many summers working in the valley,” said Whittnee LaChapelle. “We live outside the area now, but it’s important to us that we contribute to the communities where we make memories with our family.”
Those who would like to donate to The Hunger Coalition may do so at www.sunvalleytourdeforce.com or www.thehungercoalition.org.
Or, make a purchase at the new SVTdF online store. The store features SVTdF gear, with favorite car designs on mobile phone cases, apparel and other accessories.
The 2021 Sun Valley Tour de Force is slated for July 22-24, 2021. It will include three days of events, including a downtown car show packed with collectibles, and supercars, a Cars & Comedy dinner and the high-speed runs at Phantom Hill north of Ketchum.