Five Years Down, $230,000 Raised for Families Facing Hunger
We’re thankful for our community for rallying to take steps against hunger at our 5th Annual Holiday Lights Hunger Run/Walk fundraising event through Making Spirits Bright in Evergreen Park on November 19! It was a record-breaking year. A total of 2,328 runners and walkers registered and $80,000 was raised – the most participants and money raised since we started in 2017. The cherry on top? A grand total of $230,000 has been raised to support Sheboygan County families facing hunger just from our first five events.
Families and friends came together to create a grand total of 82 Groups/Teams. Congrats to Johnsonville for reigning (for two years in a row) as the Biggest Group/Team with 119 participants, Herber Holiday Hijinks for racking up the most votes (23%) for our Best Group/Team Name online poll, and all 5K run award winners.
For the first time, we were honored to welcome myTEAM TRIUMPH WI to the course. Part of myTEAM TRIUMPH’s work is to lend race day support so people of all abilities can come together as a team in endurance events. Teams of captains, who were given complimentary registrations, and their partner angels, rolled and ran through the 5K course with smiles.
We’re grateful for our volunteer committee members who helped plan throughout the year and day-of-event volunteers who bundled up to snap photos, assist with packet pickup, oversee parking lots, pass out water to runners, and guide participants along the course.
Special thanks to our Event Sponsor, Making Spirits Bright, for offering their venue and all of our other committed sponsors and partners.
Check out our gallery of event photos here.
Why This Fundraiser Event is Especially Important This Year
Sheboygan County Food Bank is dedicated to continuing to partner with other local organizations to offer services and programs focused on reaching our neighbors in need. This year’s fundraiser success is especially important as the rising cost of living has made it even more difficult for many in our community to make ends meet. Right now, we’re serving about 4,215 families each month, which is 50% more families than we served on average each month in 2021.
There’s Still Time to Drive Through Making Spirits Bright and Donate Healthy, Non-Expired Food
If you didn’t make it to our event, you can still see the holiday lights displays and drive-thru Making Spirits Bright, 5 PM – 9 PM, each night through the end of the year (closed December 24). Sheboygan County Rotary Clubs’ annual drive-through event benefits Sheboygan County Food Bank by encouraging visitors to donate non-perishable food items (admission is free).
Please consider purchasing and donating the items listed below to help avoid the collection of expired food, provide Sheboygan County Food Bank’s most requested items, and make sure our neighbors receive safe and nutritious food. Low-sodium, low-sugar, and light-syrup food items are preferred when possible.
- peanut butter
- canned soup
- canned tuna and canned chicken
- cereal and oatmeal
- canned fruit
- personal care items (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine products, etc.)
If Making Spirits Bright reaches its 2022 season goal of collecting 150,000 pounds of food, the event will have collected 1 million pounds of food over the 11-year partnership to help feed Sheboygan County families in need. Read more about our partnership here.
Save the Date for the 6th Annual Holiday Lights Hunger Run/Walk
We hope you make our Holiday Lights Hunger Run/Walk a tradition and join us again on Saturday, November 18, 2023 for our 6th Annual Holiday Lights Hunger Run/Walk! Registration will begin in the summer of 2023 on our event website.
