Harvest Green - Virtual OutRun Hunger 5K Raises $15,000 for Charity

Hundreds of runners took to sidewalks, parks and trails for a virtual version of the annual OutRun Hunger 5K Family Walk and Run, raising $15,000 for East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry.

 Ongoing public health concerns with COVID-19 threatened to cancel the event but organizers decided to experiment with a virtual run instead.

 “We made the decision to do a virtual run because it allowed for a safer and more flexible run schedule for our supporters,” said Stacey Williams, development director for East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry. “We hoped to raise $10,000 to help families experiencing food insecurities. Thanks to nearly 200 participants and 33 sponsors, we were able to exceed that goal by $5,000.”

Runners were invited to run or walk anytime and anywhere they wanted between Sept. 25 and 30. Prizes were available for runners who mapped their routes and logged their times. Participants also could choose to simply donate rather than compete.

Last year, the event raised $20,000 for East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry, a local non-profit that provides assistance to families and individuals during times of temporary financial crisis.

During quarantine, the ministry saw a spike in the number of families needing assistance. Last year, the ministry served a total of more than 44,000 adults and children. Between mid-March and the end of May this year they had already served half that amount and continue to serve hundreds of families each month.

Sponsorships contributed more than $10,000 to the proceeds with Harvest Green in Richmond serving as the title sponsor for the third year in a row.

Platinum sponsors included Karla Arjona Real Estate Services and the East Fort Bend Humans Need Ministry Board of Directors. Additional sponsors included Hunting Subsea Technologies, Earthcare Management, the Perrin family, Ted and Jennifer Waggoner, Springtime Property Group, AMW, Children’s Lighthouse, Advancial, Mandi and Doug Fought, BeLocal Richmond, Safe Tree PPE, Roots, Ken and Stella Mire, Shay and Honey Horton, the Perin Family, Bling Our Yard, Ann and Joe Schmitt, Jeremy Adams State Farm Insurance, Sugar Land Baptist Church, My Favorite Dry Cleaners, Board and Bordeux, Oyster Creek Construction, Bob and Carolyn Couch, Ivy Kids Early Learning Center, Harvest Green Montessori School, Gabriel Jones of Edward Jones, Eklund Smokehouse Jerky, and Jim and Vickie Coates.

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