The REALTOR Association of Southern Kentucky (RASK) in Bowling Green holds two MAJOR annual food drives –REALTORS Hope for Homeless – Feeding Local Families in the spring (established 2012) and the Glow Run/Walk in the fall (established 2014). One hundred percent of money raised from both events is given back to our community in the form of food.
Why do we hold the 5K Glow Run/Walk? RASK wants to create awareness about the hunger and food insecurity situation in our community and surrounding areas AND take action to do something about it!
School Family Resource Coordinator (FRC) Testimonial 1, which happened just a few days ago: “A child had an accident while at school. The child was given clothes to change into but
staff was concerned about visible bumps in the student’s shirt and pants, believing it may be a medical problem. The staff tried to look and the student smacked the staff’s hand away. On closer inspection, the staff noticed food tucked away in the student’s clothing, food that was now wet from the accident. The student didn’t want the food thrown away. That food was thrown away, and now that student (and sibling) is given food for the weekend. Kids with no food are real…we see it every day!”
More than 52% of our children in the city/county schools are on the free/reduced breakfast and lunch program. Several city/county schools in our area even have over 90% of students on the free/reduced breakfast and lunch program. Many of these children often receive their only meals at school.
Most people do not know that programs such as the “backpack program” stop when school is NOT in session, therefore many kids who receive their only meal at school will not even get a bag of food at all for the weekend. This means any time school is not in session – fall/spring break, Christmas, snow days, and summer break – children in our community will be hungry. The food we are able to purchase through our community service projects helps to fill the gaps. Most of the food that we purchase is distributed directly by one of the school Family Resource Coordinators (FRCs). The school FRCs visit the homes of these children when school is not in session and deliver food to the children that would otherwise go hungry. Currently we are able to support Warren City/County Schools, and others in Allen, Butler, Edmonson, Logan and Simpson counties.
We also support HOTEL INC, a community-based non-profit organization that provides Warren County citizens with pathways to stable housing, community resources, building relationships, quality food, and serving our neighbors by stocking the “Mana Mart” food pantry. HOTEL INC provides an average of 8,000 services per year; HOTEL INC food pantry, which is called the Mana Mart, is averaging 50 new households a month.
REALTORS Hope for Homeless Glow Run/Walk has donated hundreds of thousands of servings of food to children in our school systems and HOTEL INC since the start of these events. We are now one of their largest food donors, and they count on us to help them feed families in need.
School Family Resource Coordinator (FRC) Testimonial 2: I really just don’t have the vocabulary to relay just how much what y’all do matters! We were able to provide food for families over the entire summer break with the food we picked up in the spring. We have NEVER had this much on hand and typically scrape to find what’s needed when it’s needed. Where some areas don’t have very high participation rates in the Summer Feeding Programs, ours continue to increase annually. Ours is a great community with many, many cheerful givers, but our population who chooses paying rent/utilities and car payments over nutrition is growing rapidly. Please share our sincere gratitude for helping us, for reaching out beyond your immediate local area has surely had great impact on many!
By participating in the Glow Run/Walk on October 25, held at Kereiakes Park, 100% of your registration fee will go towards feeding a hungry belly!
Please help us achieve our goal of having at least 200 Runners/Walkers in the 5th Annual Glow Run/Walk 2018!
