Run for Hunger Rained Out, But Runners Still Show Up to Support Food Pantries
Inclement weather put a damper on the run, but the event still managed to raise more than $18,000.
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Five year-old Anna Slowinski of Westmont waits under the carport of Yorkfield Presbyterian Church, hoping to run in the Run for Hunger if the rain cleared up. It didn't, and the race had to be canceled. "This is my second race," Anna said. "Me and my dad practice a lot, and we do bike rides, too."
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By 8:30 a.m. Sunday, at Yorkfield Presbyterian Church in Elmhurst, a good showing of the registered participants for the Run for Hunger 5K Fun Run/Walk were ready to run. But Mother Nature was not having it.
As the official start time of the race passed, organizers and participants alike sought shelter from the gentle rain, occasionally peering up to search for a spot of sunshine. The runners seemed willing to run in the rain, it was just the far off rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning that kept the runners and organizers away from the starting block.
Ultimately, Mother Nature had the last word, and the run had to be called off.
"It was kind of a bummer," said Brian McGreal, the director of the event. "It was still a great turnout. We had 305 people register for the 5-K, and I think there were like 50 kids for the fun run. We'll still end up raising somewhere between $18,000 and $20,000 for the local food pantries."
"We apologize that we couldn’t have the race and were bummed for the runners, but we were really happy that our mission was to raise money for the food pantries and we were able to accomplish at least that part of the mission this year."
The majority of the proceeds go to Elmhurst/Yorkfield Food Pantry, as well as other local pantries, including Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation and Oxfam America.
