Foodie 5K raises money to help feed the hungry

There are all sorts of reasons to run or walk a 5K.

Good exercise. Good camaraderie. Good way to spend a little time outside.

But for many of the roughly 1,400 runners and walkers who gathered Saturday morning at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, there was another reason, too: helping feed the hungry.

The fourth annual Foodie 5K was sponsored by the Northern Illinois Food Bank and organizers were hoping the race would generate around $50,000 for the Geneva-based organization that provides roughly 62.5 million meals a year for the hungry in 13 counties.

For every dollar donated, the food bank can acquire $8 worth of food, Communications Manager Elizabeth Gartman said.

Saturday's race was one of three that are part of the Foodie 5K series, with others scheduled for May 13 at Independence Grove in Libertyville and Sept. 9 at Lewis University in Romeoville.

Last year, Gartman said, the three races combined to attract more than 2,800 participants and raise about $216,000.

In addition to the run, the Foodie 5K also included a food truck area and a kids zone that featured activities for youngsters, and appearances by mascots from the Kane County Cougars and the Chicago Steel.

Organizers say there's a huge demand for food across the region. They say the food bank is closest to meeting the so-called "meal gap" in DuPage and Kane counties, but even in those areas the demand is great: 13.4 million meals were distributed last year in DuPage and 8.9 million were distributed in Kane. They said the food bank serves 107,100 people each year in DuPage and 141,700 in Kane.

Not everyone was necessarily thinking about that Saturday at Cantigny, but it didn't really matter, Gartman said.

Because whether folks were participating as individuals or as part of a team, whether they were doing it for the exercise or the camaraderie, the bottom line was all the same, she said: "They're raising money to help their neighbors."