Running For A Cause: Turkey Trottin’ To Support Our WNC Neighbors
By JR Staff member Joe Ainsworth
Holidays throughout the calendar year always involve several traditions centering around family, food, and (gasp!) running! I have been part of the Jus’ Running community since moving to Asheville in 2015 and have had the privilege to be the Master of Ceremonies (emcee) for the Downtown Asheville Turkey Trot 5k since that time. Throughout the past several years I have stood on the Pack Square stage and observed all of the wonderful aspects of Jus’ Running’s Thanksgiving 5k: the crisp late-fall air, the families gathering with smiles and excitement, the creative costumes, and, my favorite, the hundreds of children who don a race bib for the first time and sprint to the finish line of our Gobble Wobble Fun Run. There is a lot to be thankful for within our vibrant running community.
As a runner, volunteer, or spectator it is easy to enjoy the community event of the Turkey Trot. It is tradition for Thanksgiving to elicit thoughts of gratitude in our lives. Each year I emcee our event and then go home to my family and have a lavish meal. Not everyone in our community has that luxury though. That’s why, this year, I want to shed light on one of our local non-profit organizations who make a tremendous impact in fighting food insecurity in all of Western North Carolina: MANNA Food Bank.
Jus’ Running has donated all race proceeds to MANNA Food Bank for as long as we have hosted the Downtown Asheville Turkey Trot 5k. This month I had the privilege of speaking with Kara Irani, MANNA’s Director of Marketing and Communications, to learn more about MANNA’s influence in our community and beyond. It is a special year for MANNA as they are celebrating their 40th anniversary!
To date, MANNA, their partner network, and their dedicated volunteers have helped provide more than 250 million meals in the Western North Carolina region. That is a staggering number! MANNA works together with different food providers and various non-profit partners to help meet the demand of our community. As it stands right now, MANNA is experiencing record highs in terms of people who need food support. For perspective, prior to the covid-19 pandemic MANNA would provide meals for approximately 65,000 people each month. Now, MANNA provides meals for 167,000 individuals each month! These donated meals help families not only secure food but also help them allocate more of their paycheck to cover other expenses such as rent, utilities, or childcare.
Kara is so proud of the way our community and its partners have come together to show up for Western North Carolinians. There are always ways we can join this mission and help make a difference in the fight against food insecurity in Western North Carolina:
Volunteer. Anyone can sign up to volunteer at MANNA, host a food drive, or become a donor.
Participate in one of MANNA’s Turkey Drive’s this year. Annually, MANNA hosts a virtual Turkey Drive where folks can provide monetary donations to help MANNA meet the increased need during Thanksgiving. Additionally, MANNA is hosting an in-person Turkey Drive this year on November 4th from 10am-2pm at the Asheville Outlet Mall.
Sign up for MANNA’s Advocacy News and Call For Action Newsletter. Receiving MANNA’s newsletter helps continue to raise awareness regarding regional food insecurity and provides up-to-date ways of how we all can pitch in to continue to support MANNA’s mission.
Food insecurity is a recurring and normal issue here in our community (to learn more about this please view MANNA’s documentary “Hunger is Real: Voices of WNC”). Here at Jus’ Running we pride ourselves on our efforts to partner with MANNA and join their cause. In 2022, our funds from the Turkey Trot provided 24,000 meals to our neighbors. Given MANNA’s new data that their demand is even greater, we hope to exceed that number this year.
According to Kara, by raising awareness of this issue we can help destigmatize food access. If you or someone you know is struggling to provide food for your family, please visit MANNA’s Food Helpline or call 1-800-820-1109.
We hope you will consider joining us for our Asheville Downtown Turkey Trot 5k event this year (register here) and join our donation efforts for MANNA this Thanksgiving. Thank you Kara for your contribution to this article as well as MANNA and all partnering organizations for your efforts bettering our community and combating food insecurity. From the Jus’ Running family to yours, we hope you have a healthy and happy holiday full of generosity.
Joe Ainsworth emceeing at the 2019 Turkey Trot.
All photos taken by Rachel Veale
