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4th Compass Run for Food takes place this Saturday

June 9, 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

The fourth-annual Compass Run for Food takes place in Orangeville this Saturday (June 10) and organizers are starting to get excited for what they believe will be the “biggest and best” year in the event’s short history.

Hosted by Compass Community Church, the run was launched in 2014 to help ensure shelves are continuously stocked at local community food banks. Over the past three years more than $48,000 has been filtered through to the Orangeville and Shelburne food banks and Mike Braun, a member of the Compass Run for Food organizing committee, is hoping to see another $30,000 raised this year.

With three routes available to the public – 10–kilometre, 5 km and a 1-km kid’s fun run – Mr. Braun says, “there’s something available for everyone”, promoting the run as a fun, family-friendly event.

“We’ve done a lot of work over the past few years to grow this event in the community and really promote it as one of the premier family events of the summer in Orangeville,” Mr. Braun told the Citizen. “Everyone in town knows the trail, they know how beautiful it is out there… It’s a very accessible trail and we’ve added to the whole experience in general to make it more appealing to families.”

Amongst those features, says Mr. Braun, will be a special karate demonstration put on by Toms Martial Arts, an archery display and several games targeted towards the younger population.

“We have a group that puts on kids camps during the summer, so we’ll be bringing them in to make sure all the kids have something to do throughout the entire day. We’re also going to have a big barbecue, so there will be food available too,” Mr. Braun said.

But it won’t all just be fun and games. Mr. Braun says the church has made a concerted effort over the years to ensure the actual running component of the event maintains more of a professional feel.

“While there’s lots to do throughout the course of the day, this is more than just a fun run. We have a company come out and provide official timing services, we make the registration a little more professional, it’s good fun,” he said. “Then, once that gun goes off and the runners start running… It gets exciting. It’s a nice feeling watching everyone give their all and run their own race.”

Mr. Braun noted the fundraising efforts have been successful once again this year. He expects to at least reach the $30,000 target, all of which will go towards supporting programs at the food banks, as well as breakfast programs at Princess Margaret, Parkinson Centennial, Hyland Heights and Glenbrook elementary schools.

“We’re excited. This is something Compass has believed in for years – supporting different food programs and initiatives in the area… We’ve always been aware of the need that exists out there and that need has only been growing in recent years, so we’re happy to be able to do our part and help such a worthy community cause,” Mr. Braun said.

For more information on the Compass Run for Food, or to register, visit compass5k4food.com.

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