Thursday, October 18, 2012

Register to stomp out hunger with Olympic Medalist Yohan Blake and Food For The Poor

With only a month remaining, now is the time to register for Food For The Poor’s 5K Walk/Run For Hunger. Sign up online to stomp out hunger alongside Jamaican Olympic medal winner Yohan Blake on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 7 a.m. at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Register to participate in the charity’s 5K Walk/Run online at www.FoodForThePoor.org/walk. While on the website, take advantage of free fundraising tips designed to help you reach your fundraising goal by sharing your ideas with family, friends, co-workers and contacts.

Cost of registration is $20 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-10. There’s no fee for children 5 and under. The registration cost includes a T-shirt for the first 1,500 who sign up. There will be refreshments, live music, balloon artists, face painters and more at this family event. Registration starts at 6:30 a.m., the run/walk begins at 7 a.m. and the awards ceremony is at 8 a.m.

“I know what it is to be hungry and so I respect what they are doing,” said Blake, nicknamed “The Beast” by his teammates. “Food For The Poor is one of the most important charities in the Western Hemisphere.”

Proceeds from this year’s 5K Walk/Run will raise money to purchase food to feed destitute families in the Caribbean and Latin America. A generous donor has agreed to match every dollar raised with an additional dollar’s worth of food.

Participants are also encouraged to bring cans of food to the 5K Walk/Run to benefit needy families in South Florida. Requested Thanksgiving-themed sides include canned corn, sweet potato, green beans, pumpkin and cranberry sauce.

“We want to help spread Thanksgiving blessings to needy families in our community, too,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO. “With local food pantry shelves practically empty, we want to be able to bring the community together to address the need."

Jason Martinez, co-anchor for WPLG-TV ABC Local 10 Morning News and Local 10 News at Noon, will join Blake at the walk/run. Martinez traveled to Jamaica in August to cover the island-nation’s 50-year anniversary of independence. While in Jamaica, Martinez saw the poverty firsthand.

Medallions will be given to top finishers of each age group. Food For The Poor’s 5K Walk/Run will be timed by Accuchip Timing on a certified course in Quiet Waters Park.

The 5K Walk/Run is presented by Winn-Dixie.  Event sponsors are Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Corner Bakery Cafe, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, PNC, Polyglass, Runners Edge, Sun Sentinel, TeamReliv, WATA, Wells Fargo, and World of Beer.

Yohan Blake limited edition commemorative WATA bottles will be distributed at the walk/run.

There will be several opportunities to help and have fun before the walk/run.

• On Sunday, Oct. 28, bring your friends to Bru’s Room in Coconut Creek to register for the walk/run and to watch the 1 p.m. kickoff of the Miami Dolphins v. New York Jets. Win prizes, and play the Quarterback toss game at Bru’s Room, 5460 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Coconut Creek, Fla.

• Winn-Dixie, the event’s presenting sponsor, will host a wine sampling compliments of Barefoot Wine & Bubbly on Friday, Nov. 2 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Invite your friends and teammates to stop by to learn more about the nonprofit, and win prizes at Winn-Dixie, 5600 West Sample Road, Margate, Fla.

• On Friday, Nov. 9, The WOW Factory will give thanks and donate 20 percent of the $20 admission fee to Coconut Creek-based nonprofits. Come enjoy the attractions and play unlimited video games while benefiting charity from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The WOW Factory, 5891 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Fla.

• Tickets to the Miami Dolphins v. Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday, Nov. 25, can be purchased for $45. A percentage of the ticket sales through the nonprofit will be contributed to the walk/run’s final donation tally. To order tickets, or to request additional information, please send an email to events@FoodForThePoor.com.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor.


Contact:
Jennifer Leigh Oates
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
jennifero@foodforthepoor.com

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