Turkey Trot Raises More Than $3,000 for Food Bank for Monterey County

MONTEREY, Calif. – The third annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca raised $3,075 and collected more than 200 pounds of canned and nonperishable food for the Food Bank for Monterey County.

Runners, joggers, and walkers came to Laguna Seca Recreation Area from throughout California, as well as holiday travelers from Oklahoma, Michigan, Connecticut, and as far away as England and Slovenia. Each paid $10 to make as many laps as they desired, by foot power only, on the 11-turn 2.238-mile road course. The money raised was an increase of more than 50 percent from last year.

“I want to thank everyone who participated for giving up some of their time on a holiday morning to do something very special for people in need in Monterey County,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/General Manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “The services provided by the Food Bank for Monterey County is important throughout the year, but especially critical during the holidays, so it was great to see so many people on a cold but sunny morning have so much fun for such a worthy cause.”

The Food Bank for Monterey County is the area’s largest provider of emergency supplemental food. The food bank collects, stores and redistributes food to individuals, as well as non-profit agencies that serve the aged, ill and needy. Every $1 donated to the Food Bank for Monterey County provides $5 worth of food to be distributed.

“We are grateful for all the community support received from the Turkey Trot. Unfortunately, hunger is a 365-days-a-year struggle for about 20 percent of the Monterey County population. So programs such as this one certainly help make a difference,” said Cathleen Montero, programs manager for the Food Bank for Monterey County.