Locals trot to make sure everyone has a Thanksgiving dinner.
Personal Best Charity has partnered once again with Patriot Place to hold its 22nd annual Turkey Trot on Saturday, Oct. 14th at the shopping, dining and entertainment center on Route 1 in Foxborough.
This is the major fundraising event for the Turkey Brigade held in November, a community service event that assembles baskets of food to feed families in need of a Thanksgiving meal.
???We are very excited to be at Patriot Place this year,??? enthused Personal Best Charity President Chris Rappold. ???Last year was our first time holding the Trot here and it went smoothly. Patriot Place was very generous with all their accommodations and our participants were happy to be at such a great venue.???
Initiated in 1995, the Turkey Brigade has grown from feeding 69 families in 1995 to surpassing feeding 29,000 families over its 21-year history. As part of the organization???s ongoing commitment to teaching character education, students from Personal Best Karate take part in raising money for the charity by collecting pledges and participating in the Turkey Trot.
The students are represented from each of the Personal Best Karate Schools, located in Norton, Foxborough, Easton, Norwood, Medfield and its newest location, Raynham.
This year, there will be three starts: the Ranger Run, for children up to age 8, which is a 100-yard dash; for children aged 9-years-old through adult, a one-mile run; and a 5K (3.1 miles).
You can sign up to participate in advance by emailing nortondesk@personalbestkarate.com or by coming that day by 7:45 a.m. to register.
Approximately $75,000 is needed to be raised to hit the goal of feeding 3,000 families a full Thanksgiving dinner this year. Raffles and a silent auction will also start at 8:45 a.m. at the Turkey Trot to raise more funds.
The winners will be drawn at 10 a.m. Local businesses and friends of the charity were very generous and contributed funds as sponsors:
Patriot Logo, Foxboro Fit Club, Ocean Spray, Louis and Mary Kay Smith Family Foundation, Mirrione, Shaughnessy & Uitti, LLC, The Norton Family, Once Beacon Charitable Trust, Halvorsen Orthodontics, Land Development Northeast, Inc., FusionStorm, American Climbers, LLC, Anonymous, The Gallagher Family, HR Knowledge, Inc., North Easton Savings Bank, Norwood Engineering, Bay Colony Group, Inc., Donahue Architects, Inc., Stephen Barker, Art & Soul Tattoo, Barrows Insurance, Brown Real Estate, Data Quest Ltd., Norton Family Dental Group, PC, The Palter Family, The Raman Family, The Produce Barn, The Pro’s Car Care Complex, Todesco Plumbing and Heating, Wendell’s Pub, The White Family, Koso America, The Harrington Family, Encompass IT, Inc., Connolly Insurance, The Pernock Family, Sharon Credit Union, Southeastern Mass. Detectives Association, Trinitarian Congregational Church, In Focus Eye Care, Linda Costanzo/Keller Williams Realty, Sue’s Cleaners, Maplewood Country Day, Easton Chamber of Commerce, Graham Family Giving Fund and M/M Graham.
Personal Best Charity is accepting monetary donations as well as donations for its silent auction and raffle.
If you would like to make a donation to the Turkey Trot, please make checks payable to Personal Best Charity and mail to 250 East Main Street, Norton, MA 02766.
If you would like to contribute a silent auction or raffle item, please email info@pbcharity.org. Personal Best Charity is a 501c3 corporation.
The Turkey Brigade packaging of the dinners will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18th and deliveries will be the following day. All volunteers are welcome to participate in packaging on Saturday or delivery on Sunday. If you are interested in assisting, please email info@pbcharity.org.
The majority of the meals are delivered directly to families in the immediate area.
The goal is to ensure that every single family can enjoy at least one day of food surplus and holiday blessing and that no one within our reach is left without a meal on Thanksgiving.