Thanksgiving Turkey Trot to benefit local youth

The Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in Maricopa seeks nonperishable food items and goods to help support local homeless teens.

Eight years ago, the Turkey Trot started as an idea between Austin Hoopes and his sister, Jennifer Mix. The two wanted to do a Thanksgiving Day run, but the closest event was in Mesa. Instead of driving so far north on the holiday, they organized their own trot in the Villages subdivision.

Since 2008, the event has continued to grow. In 2009, the Maricopa Police Department got involved, and Hoopes began collecting nonperishable goods from the events participants to donate to families in need.

Last year, Hoopes got corporate sponsors involved to share some of the out of pocket costs. This year, the Maricopa County Sheriff and Attorney’s offices are sponsoring the event, along with the UltraStar Multi-tainment Center, Mothers of Everyday Heroes, Be Awesome Coalition, Casa Grande Alliance and Coolidge Youth Coalition.

“The event is free, we just request everyone brings a nonperishable food item or item from our list to help our local homeless teens,” Hoopes said. “Over the last few years we’ve done this, we’ve been able to gather hundreds of pounds of goods to help people in need. This year, we want to focus on the youth in the community who need our help.”

Items being requested include nonperishable food, packages of pens and pencils, paper and notebooks, travel size toiletries, jeans, T-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, backpacks and winter clothing.

“It’s a great way to show gratitude for what you have,” Hoopes said. “[Thanksgiving] is a great time of year to show that appreciation.”

The event will take place Thanksgiving morning and feature bounce houses for participants to enjoy, and a DJ to provide music and entertainment.

Participants can pre-register for the 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) run or the 1-mile “Family Fun Run” online at http://maricopaturkeytrot.blogspot.com, or in person at Pacana Park at 7 a.m. before the event begins. The 5K will begin on the soccer fields at Pacana Park at 8 a.m., and the “Fun Run” will begin in the same spot at 8:10 a.m. Course maps are available online.