One Year of Healthy Meals
Sharaka Berry, who lives a health-focused lifestyle through his work and personal habits, exclusively announced to Carvd N Stone that he’ll be biking 100 miles from Milwaukee to Chicago to raise $6,000 on July 27, 2025.
Berry is calling his fundraising efforts the Jacked for Justice Ride. The goal is to provide a full year of healthy meals to Berry’s friend Dominic Long, a dedicated community mobilizer with Fathers Making Progress, who is currently managing diabetes. Fathers Making Progress is a nonprofit focused on inspiring and empowering fathers through programming and initiatives.
The meals will be provided by Food For Health, a Southeast Wisconsin-based organization supporting those with or at risk for chronic conditions. Berry serves as the organization’s manager of advancement and engagement.
“The reason it’s so important is because this an extremely unhealthy city,” said Berry.
Berry’s friend Long has spent so much time giving back to the community, and now Berry said it’s time for the community to give back to him.
“You can’t think Black lives matter but Black health doesn’t,” said Berry.
Long was diagnosed with diabetes in 2020, and it’s been a challenging journey since. As a community man, Long is used to putting himself second, but he understands his health has to come first. When he got the news that Berry was taking this journey for him, he was truly surprised.
“I was in tears because I didn’t think this was coming,” said Long. “What I learned is that you never know who’s fighting for you.”
Long said he’s fighting the fight, and the best support you can give is to advocate for him, which is exactly what Berry is doing.
Preparing to Become an Ironman
Berry is originally from Chicago, and when he moved to Milwaukee, he saw the food deserts on the Northside, so this is bigger than just a bike ride for him. Berry said this ride is part of his larger mission. He’s currently training to become an Ironman, and he’s using his journey to inspire others to take control of their health and also to advocate for food justice and equitable access to nutrition, especially in underserved communities.
“We should be healthy together,” said Berry.
To become an Ironman, you must complete the Ironman triathlon, which involves swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and running a 26.2-mile marathon. Berry has been biking for a while and chooses to walk places instead of using public transportation when traveling. He’s almost at six months of training.
Spinn MKE Partnership
Food For Health is currently partnering with SpinnMKE, a Black woman-owned fitness studio, on a campaign running from May 1 – July 31, 2025, to raise funds for infant and maternal health.
Berry is serving as a guest instructor at SpinnMKE. Both the Jacked for Justice Ride and the SpinnMKE partnership are part of a larger movement to inspire physical activity while directly investing in the health of the community.
Berry teaches classes on Mondays at 6:15 a.m. CST and Thursdays at 6 a.m. CST.
Donations
The Jacked for Justice Ride is open to anyone who commits to donating. Riders can join for any distance, like the first five miles, with donations based on how far they ride; one mile equals one dollar of donations.
For those who don’t want to ride but want to donate to the cause, click here.
