Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities will come together at Croton Harmon High School in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, on Sunday, October 20th, to raise funds to fight hunger locally and beyond at the 44th Annual Harry Chapin Memorial Run & Walk Against Hunger.
A 5K Race and Walk will begin at 8:30 a.m., a 10K Race at 10 a.m., and a One-Mile Fun Run at 11:45 a.m. The first 300 registrants in the 5K Race and Walk and the 10K Race will receive a free commemorative t-shirt, and all child participants in the One-Mile Fun Run will receive a free commemorative medal. Awards will be given to top overall and age category finishers for both males and females in the 5K Race and 10K race. Volunteers will staff plenty of water stations on the scenic 5K and 10K courses. Course maps for all three events and a video tour of the 10K course are available at www.runagainsthunger.com/course. Complimentary refreshments for runners and walkers at the finish line will include bottled water, granola bars, and fresh fruit. Gourmet soups and chili, grilled burgers and hot dogs, and fresh-baked treats will be available for purchase. Pumpkin painting will be offered as well.
Runners and walkers who can’t join the event on October 20th can register for the virtual event and run or walk wherever and whenever they’d like between October 12th and October 19th.
The event has become a tradition in Westchester County since 1981, when it was started just months after singer-songwriter-humanitarian Harry Chapin, who was best known for his hit songs “Taxi,” “Cat’s in the Cradle,” and “W*O*L*D,” and who raised and gave away more than $5 million for causes he believed in, most prominently fighting hunger, died in a car accident at age 38. Since its inception, the event has raised and given away $780,000 to nonprofit beneficiary organizations that fight hunger.
Last year, more than 1,200 runners and walkers participated in the event – an all-time record — and the organizing committee, comprised entirely of volunteers, noted that the event raised and distributed a record $55,000 to nonprofit organizations including the Croton-Cortlandt Food Pantry, which was started in 1982 from the proceeds of the first Harry Chapin Memorial Run Against Hunger, as well as Croton Caring, Caring for the Hungry & Homeless of Peekskill, Feeding Westchester, Hillside Food Outreach in Pleasantville, WhyHunger, which was co-founded by Harry Chapin in 1975, the Carolyn Belshe Orphanage in Cambine, Mozambique, and Institut Montfort School for Deaf and Deaf-Blind Children in Haiti.
To register and/or donate, or for more information, visit www.runagainsthunger.com.
