More than 4,000 registered runners and walkers, some with their four-legged companions, and easily another 1,000 volunteers and onlookers started off their Thanksgiving morning at Riverside Park to take part in the 14th annual Trot Against Poverty 5K Run/Walk to benefit United Against Poverty. Families, friends and co-workers happily started the day by sharing their good fortune with those who are less well-off.
Affectionately known as the Turkey Trot, this was their largest race to date, with more than double the number of registrants in the pre-pandemic 2019 race.
Energetic young gobblers, ages 6 and under, started things off with a fast-paced children’s sprint before the official race began. From avid runners to walkers and babies pushed in strollers, everyone took their spots along the start line, where pace signs had been placed by the race coordinator Running Zone.
“This is my first one, but it’s a well-oiled machine. This team is so phenomenal,” said Matt Tanner, who started his position as UP executive director just after the 2020 race.
“Running Zone is super professional. We’ve been working with them all month to get this prepped, and everything from preregistration and handing out bibs, to the set-up here this morning has been flawless,” he added.
An army of volunteers had arrived in the chilly pre-dawn hours to get everything in order before the crowds begin to arrive, with many helping to get the famous post-race Sweet Potato Pancake Breakfast ready. Pancakes were flipped using gallons of cinnamon-scented batter, donated by Marsh Landing Restaurant, as folks from the Saussie Pig browned the sausage links.
Other smiling volunteers and UP staff served the hungry finishers, who washed their breakfast down with Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice.
“It’s been an extremely busy year,” said Tanner. “Last year was our busiest year, and this year we’re on pace to eclipse the number of families that we’re serving on a daily and annual basis.”
He said 65 people graduated from their Success Training and Employment Program, and more than 400 adults attended approximately 70 workshops.
“Our crisis stabilization has been nonstop, and we’ve expanded our community partnerships about 400 percent this year,” said Tanner.
Currently, he said eight community partners lease space in the UP Center, including Treasure Coast Community Health’s walk-in clinic, Access Florida, AARP Foundation and St. Helen’s Catholic Church. New onsite partners are SafeSpace, for victims of domestic violence; Safe Families for Children; Phoenix Rising Wellness Center, which offers mental health and substance abuse assistance; and Dynamic Life, which offers assistance to homeless men with substance abuse issues.
“The numbers through the walk-in clinic this year to date have been phenomenal. A little over 2,500 families have been seen,” said Tanner. “We’ve seen a big mental health spike in our community, which relates to a lot of the numbers we’re seeing through our Crisis Stabilization department as well. And our Membership Share Grocery Center is returning to pre-pandemic numbers. It’s been great to see a community hub filled with energy and enthusiasm and innovation every day.”
For more information, visit upirc.org.
Photos by Kaila Jones
