Forty-four University of Massachusetts students and one marathon runner raised $500 for the hungry on Saturday at the first annual “Turkey Trot Event,” a charity run/walk.
The event, which is about 5 kilometers in length, began and ended at the Student Union. It was organized by the UMass registered student organization, Students Helping Area Reach-Out Efforts (S.H.A.R.E.).
The money, raised through entry fees and individual donations, will be donated to the Western Mass Food Bank. The Food Bank will use the money to buy turkeys to distribute to local families for Thanksgiving.
“With every dollar they’re given, the Western Mass Food Bank is able to purchase $9 worth of food,” said Maggie Moran, a senior marketing major and secretary of S.H.A.R.E. “So, from this event, the Food Bank will be able to buy $4,500 worth of food.”
Twenty volunteers arrived at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday to set up for the race and mark the trail with handmade turkey cutouts, which looped around the academic circle.
“It sounds sappy, but everyone was really happy and showed up with a smile on their face, despite the 10 a.m. race start time, which is considered early by many college students,” said Carolyn Melbye, a junior.
S.H.A.R.E. and non-S.H.A.R.E. members alike braved the cold weather and the blustery wind to participate, including members of the Phi Sigma Phi sorority and the women’s crew and rugby teams.
John Lohan, a two-time Boston Marathon runner and older brother of S.H.A.R.E. publicity officer Brian Lohan, drove from Boston to run in the event.
“The Turkey Trot was very well done,” said Lohan, 38. “I won my age group!”
“We had a great turnout, more than we expected,” said Brian Lohan, a junior communications major. “We hope that this can become a tradition at UMass, growing year by year, and it’s a special feeling, being a part of the first one.”
Participants agreed that the event was a success. “I will definitely be here next year,” said James Crosby, a junior physics major.
“It was a great time,” said Dylan Malynn, a junior geology major. Malynn said that it was tough waking up so early, but that the experience was worth it.
“It’s especially good because the money we raised is actually $9 for every dollar,” said Malynn. “My registration fee alone was $10, which is really $90. That’s definitely a family’s worth of food.”
Participants and volunteers munched on bagels, orange slices and granola bars, donated by Stop ‘ Shop, Trader Joe’s, and the UMass Outing Club. Beverages were donated by the Special Olympics, an organization that S.H.A.R.E. volunteers work with throughout the year, according to Amy Tessier, S.H.A.R.E president and a senior sports management major.
The top three male and female finishers were rewarded with gift certificates donated by Bueno Y Sano, Cinemark, Hampshire Mall, Staples and Eastern Mountain Sports. There were enough gift certificates left over so that 30 other participants also received prizes.
“More people left with something extra in their pockets than those that didn’t,” Lohan said.
S.H.A.R.E. officers chose the Western Mass Food Bank, located in Hatfield, MA, as the charity to which to donate the money because of its local ties. “It’s an umbrella organization,” said Maggie Moran, a senior marketing major and secretary of S.H.A.R.E. “[The money] trickles down to places such as the Survival Center in Amherst and Not Bread Alone.”
Each month, eight S.H.A.R.E. members volunteer at Not Bread Alone, a soup kitchen at the First Congregational Church in Amherst, according to Moran.
S.H.A.R.E. was founded in 1996 as a senior honors thesis project. More information on the volunteer club can be found at http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~share/.
