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The 9th Annual Compass Run for Food exceeds fundraising goal of $75,000 to fight food insecurity

June 16, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

Food banks and programs in Dufferin County are getting a massive boost in funding.

The 9^th Annual Compass Run for Food, held by the Compass Community Church on Saturday (June 11) exceeded its goal of $75,000, which will go a long way in combatting food insecurity locally.

After two years without an in-person event, it was great to see hundreds of people unite under a common goal of ensuring people in Dufferin County don’t go hungry, said event organizer David Marshall.

“The energy and the feel that the event had, being back in person, it just it felt right,” he enthused. “It was fantastic to have runners out there, sponsors out there, everybody could meet each other again. The Orangeville Food Bank as well as Shepherds Cupboard from Shelburne had a good presence.”

Over 600 people participated in the run, which featured a 0.5km, 5km, and 10.5km walk, with the longer routes running through the trail along Island Lake.

Top racers this year for the 10.5km loop are Jack Gillies of Mono won first with an elapsed time of 36:21, while Robert Bougai of Concord won second with 44:20 and Benjamin Smith of Orangeville won third with 45:11.

In terms of fundraising, Move Well, Race Riot and the Food and Fitness Podcast were the top three fundraisers, while local schools generated $3,700 this year for the Compass Run.

The issue of food insecurity isn’t always talked about, but Marshall noted the importance of running fundraisers to lessen its impact.

“It’s always present within the community and the fact that we’re able to donate $75,000 into Dufferin County, for some places, that’s a big change kind of donation,” he said.

Marshall recalled at the last volunteer meeting for the Compass Run on June 7, someone who regularly volunteers at the local food bank said every time they go in, they see one or two new faces. Another person who volunteers at a school breakfast program in the region shared that at the beginning of the school year they saw about 30 participants regularly but they’re now up to 90.

“This is this is something that’s going to get sadly continue, but we would love to see this not be a problem anymore.”

Going forward, Marshall said he hopes one day the Compass Run isn’t needed because the issue of people not having enough food is taken care of, but they’ll always be ready to serve the cause as long as it’s needed.

Marshall added that he’s grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s Compass Run such a success.

“Each and every sponsor, each and every runner, each and every donor, we couldn’t have done it without you,” he said. “One person did not write a cheque. This is done by the community together for the better and we’re really looking forward to our 10th year next year.”

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