To increase awareness about the issue of hunger in southern Utah and to bring attention to the work they are doing through their Southern Distribution Center, the Utah Food Bank will host its first fundraiser in the St. George area on Sept. 12. The H.A.M. It Up Against Hunger Race will be part of the Utah Food Bank’s statewide efforts to celebrate national Hunger Action Month in September.
Over 36,000 southern Utah residents—15,000 of which are children—are unsure where their next meal will come from. Every sponsorship dollar and entry fee raised from the H.A.M. It Up Against Hunger Race will directly support the Utah Food Bank’s work in southern Utah.
“We work hard to help Utahns across the state who are struggling to access enough food to thrive,” said Ginette Bott, chief development officer for the Utah Food Bank. “The number of people in southern Utah who are facing hunger are a key focus of our work, and the statistics here are worse than the national average in some counties. We hope that this race will show the southern Utah community just how pervasive hunger is in the area, and how they can support us as we work to mitigate it.”
The H.A.M. It Up Against Hunger family-friendly 5K race will begin and end at the Utah Food Bank’s Southern Distribution Center, located at 4416 S. River Rd. in St. George. The race begins at 8 a.m. Online registration ends on Sept. 10, and there is no registration at the event. Registration fees are $20 per person. Groups of five or more will receive a discount of $5 per person. Packet pick-up and in-person registration will be held Sept. 11 at the race location with a $5 price increase per person. Costumes are encouraged.
The Utah Food Bank provides food to a statewide network of 134 emergency food pantries and agencies. Last fiscal year, the Utah Food Bank distributed 37.5 million pounds of food and goods, the equivalent of approximately 31.3 million meals, to families and individuals in need. The Utah Food Bank also served close to 245,000 Kids Cafe meals, delivered almost 41,000 food boxes, and filled more than 60,000 kids’ backpacks to help sustain children facing hunger throughout the weekends. For more information about the Utah Food Bank, find it on Facebook and Twitter and visit the Utah food Bank’s website.
