Chabaso Bakery founder rides the extra mile for charity

Charles Negaro, founder of Chabaso Bakery in New Haven, Conn., will ride in the 31st annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge on Aug. 7 and 8 to benefit cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The Pan-Mass, also called the Jimmy Fund, is a three-day, long-distance cycling event that has raised more money than any other athletic fundraiser in the country.

Charles Negaro trains for his Aug. 7 ride for charity

Negaro, who will be 69 when he rides this year, participated for the first time six years ago and repeated the effort three years in a row. "A very close friend of my family had been diagnosed with cancer," he said in a statement, "and her treatment was centered on the Dana-Farber Institute. The care she received for more than eight years until her death was effective, extraordinarily warm and compassionate. It provided her with a rewarding quality of life through those years, and provided her family and friends with the value of her treasured presence every day."

Chabaso Bakery also is a sponsor of the event and will provide more than 2,000 Roasted Garlic Stix and 1,000 Olive Oil Ciabatta Stix to the pre-race dinner ceremonies. An additional 3,000 Stix products will be used for sandwiches the following day during the event.

For more information about the Pan-Mass Challenge, visit www.pmc.org.