More than 400 members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints crossed the finish line of the second annual Northeast Mesa Grocery Run with bags of food in hand.
Participants ran to a nearby park in Mesa, Arizona, filled grocery bags with donated food and carried them across the finish line.
The event, hosted by the Mesa Arizona Hermosa Vista Stake, was a combination of fitness, service and community. Carrying bags symbolized the physical and mental effort involved in caring for others.
By the end of the Feb. 21 event, volunteers had collected six truckloads of food for local Methodist food pantries. Donations replenish pantry shelves and continue to provide essential support to individuals and families facing food insecurity.
Carol Tingey, JustServe expert on Elmo Savista stocks, said one of the biggest impacts of the event was increased awareness of community needs.
“People know other places they can donate and help,” she said. “The other thing that creates awareness is that we’re all here to work together. No matter what your religion is, we’re all trying to help feed God’s children.”
Latter-day Saints across Arizona are still finding creative ways to combine local races and food drives to strengthen relationships and help local families.
The Phoenix-Arizona Desert Hills Inn Anthem Stake held its second annual “5K to Feed the 5K” on March 28th.
The race was inspired by the New Testament account of Jesus Christ feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. To keep the focus on the Savior’s example of caring for others, the registration fee was 10 cans of food per participant.
All donated food items were donated to the local Catholic church food pantry, St. Vincent de Paul.
“There was a palpable sense of community and collaboration at this year’s 5K venue,” said Rhonda Lucas, Deseret Hills Stake member and founder of the event.
More than 130 runners participated and donated hundreds of food items to families in need.
After the race, participants returned to the stake center and toured a room filled with artwork depicting the Savior and scenes from His life. Many described the display as “simple but powerful.”
“The most important impact of this event was that our district was able to partner with Catholic food pantries and make a difference together,” Lucas said. “I think we all have come to appreciate each other more and hopefully we can continue to work together to make a difference in the future.”
Together, the two events provided thousands of food donations, strengthened community partnerships, and challenged participants to put their faith into action through service.
