Article from the Charlotte Observer on June 5th, 2008 - http://www.charlotte.com/218/story/655072.html
Dale Gentle, who grew up roaming the peaks of Alaska's Chugach Mountain Range, has climbed some of the most famous mountains in the world.
He has climbed McKinley, Kilimanjaro, the French and Swiss Alps, and other ranges in South America and the U.S.
Last month, as part of his Summit to Summit Challenge, the 54-year-old from Concord climbed the summits of Crowders Mountain State Park a record-breaking eight times in a single day.
His effort was to raise money for Stop Hunger Now, a nonprofit, international relief organization that works toward ending hunger worldwide.
He hiked about 30 miles and gained a total of 6,800 feet in elevation while climbing to the tops of Crowders Mountain and King's Pinnacle, two of the highest points in Gaston County, four times each.
(For his climb up California's Mount Shasta, in harsher conditions, he had about 7,400 feet of elevation gain.)
After his climb, in an e-mail to Rod Brooks, CEO of Stop Hunger Now, Gentle wrote: "The deed is done. I made eight summits, just barely getting back to my car as the park was closing.
"I'm definitely feeling it. Tendinitis flared up in my left knee on the third descent, so I kept popping Excedrin and got out some trekking poles to lean on a bit, but it was a long day."
If he had been climbing recreationally, Gentle said, he would have bowed out. But because so much was on the line, he felt as though he had to stick to his guns.
Brooks is glad he did.
"(Gentle's) dedication and tenacity represent to us the commitment that is needed to end hunger," Brooks said. "(He) is truly an inspiration to us all, and if we follow Dale's lead, we can end hunger in our lifetime."
Gentle's goal is to raise $10,000; so far, he's raised about $7,500. If he reaches his goal, 50,000 meals will be packaged at a large-scale packaging event this fall at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte.
"I really like the fact that packaging the meals is a hands-on effort," Gentle said. "I think that has a significant impact on those involved. It makes the issue more personal and the result more meaningful."
The dehydrated, high-protein meals will support school feeding programs around the world and will be shipped out through Stop Hunger Now's Operation Sharehouse program.
Because meals are distributed primarily through schools, Gentle said, parents in developing countries are encouraged to send their children to school. That eventually could help break the cycle of poverty through education.
Each meal costs only 20 cents to produce, so a donation of $25 can provide 125 meals.
"It's easy to be overwhelmed by a feeling of helplessness when faced with a problem (like) world hunger," Gentle said. "But at 20 cents a meal, it doesn't take too many dollars to feel like you can really do something meaningful."
Want to help?
WHAT: Dale Gentle is raising money for Stop Hunger Now, an international relief organization committed to ending hunger worldwide, through his Summit to Summit Challenge.
TO DONATE: Send donations to 11 Union St. S., suite 222, Concord, NC 28025. Donations will be accepted through fall.
DETAILS: To learn more about Gentle's efforts, call 704-262-7662, visit www.freewebs.com/dgentle or e-mail dgentle@vnet.net. To learn more about Stop Hunger Now, visit www.stophungernow.org.