Hearts for Hunger 5K
10 Years of Addressing Hunger Needs in Vermont
May 2022 marked the 10th Annual Hearts for Hunger 5K Fun Run and Walk. What started as one person’s desire to help address hunger needs in Vermont, quickly became a community-driven event with a large impact. Meaghan McKenna, a Vermont native who was completing her master’s degree education in Egypt, returned to the state in 2012 with a desire to make an impact on her local community. As a new member of the United Church of Hinesburg’s Missions and Social Justice Committee, she proposed the idea of a fundraiser. With the support of the church, which covered the overhead costs of the event, Hearts for Hunger was created. Since its inception, a group of 120-170 participants and 20+ volunteers have gathered annually at CVU High School, united by one cause: a desire to reduce food insecurity in Vermont. With safety as the highest priority, the event transitioned to a virtual platform in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic heightened the importance of this assistance, as one in four Vermont children suffers from food insecurity.
Each year, 100% of the event’s proceeds were donated to the Vermont Foodbank’s BackPack Program. To date, the Hearts for Hunger event has donated $61,965 to the program.
The Vermont Foodbank BackPack Program was started in 2008 to provide a reliable source of nutritious food for youth over the weekend or during school vacation, when students do not have access to school meals. Bags of kid-friendly, vitamin fortified food are packed at the Vermont Foodbank and distributed to participating schools. Currently in Vermont, an estimated 1,350 youth will receive backpacks each week through this initiative. In a year’s time, the Vermont Foodbank will package approximately 42,000 bags or 146,000 pounds of food for children who may be food insecure.
In 2016, Meaghan McKenna received the United Way’s Hometown Hero Volunteer Award. Chris Meehan, Chief Community Impact Officer for the Vermont Foodbank, said that the Vermont Foodbank nominated Meaghan for her dedication to fighting hunger. “It’s really inspirational when there are people like Meaghan in the community that want to help and actually take action to do it and [it makes] a big difference. It’s so important for children to have the nutrition that they need at these developing stages to be able to really set the stage for success in life.” This event would not have been possible without the support of the United Church of Hinesburg, and their dedication to addressing food insecurity in the community.
While 2022 marked the final Hearts for Hunger event, Event Director Meaghan McKenna says that the church is dedicated to support the VT Foodbank, and she’ll continue to promote its mission and support the BackPack Program. “This event would not have been possible without the unending support of dozens of volunteers, the United Church of Hinesburg and the Missions and Social Justice Committee, and every single person who participated in this fundraiser. I am so proud to have been a part of this event and what it stands for: every person can make an impact on the needs of their community, large or small. Vermont’s children should not be hungry, and I’ll continue to fight for them.”
10 Years of Addressing Hunger Needs in Vermont
May 2022 marked the 10th Annual Hearts for Hunger 5K Fun Run and Walk. What started as one person’s desire to help address hunger needs in Vermont, quickly became a community-driven event with a large impact. Meaghan McKenna, a Vermont native who was completing her master’s degree education in Egypt, returned to the state in 2012 with a desire to make an impact on her local community. As a new member of the United Church of Hinesburg’s Missions and Social Justice Committee, she proposed the idea of a fundraiser. With the support of the church, which covered the overhead costs of the event, Hearts for Hunger was created. Since its inception, a group of 120-170 participants and 20+ volunteers have gathered annually at CVU High School, united by one cause: a desire to reduce food insecurity in Vermont. With safety as the highest priority, the event transitioned to a virtual platform in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic heightened the importance of this assistance, as one in four Vermont children suffers from food insecurity.
Each year, 100% of the event’s proceeds were donated to the Vermont Foodbank’s BackPack Program. To date, the Hearts for Hunger event has donated $61,965 to the program.
The Vermont Foodbank BackPack Program was started in 2008 to provide a reliable source of nutritious food for youth over the weekend or during school vacation, when students do not have access to school meals. Bags of kid-friendly, vitamin fortified food are packed at the Vermont Foodbank and distributed to participating schools. Currently in Vermont, an estimated 1,350 youth will receive backpacks each week through this initiative. In a year’s time, the Vermont Foodbank will package approximately 42,000 bags or 146,000 pounds of food for children who may be food insecure.
In 2016, Meaghan McKenna received the United Way’s Hometown Hero Volunteer Award. Chris Meehan, Chief Community Impact Officer for the Vermont Foodbank, said that the Vermont Foodbank nominated Meaghan for her dedication to fighting hunger. “It’s really inspirational when there are people like Meaghan in the community that want to help and actually take action to do it and [it makes] a big difference. It’s so important for children to have the nutrition that they need at these developing stages to be able to really set the stage for success in life.” This event would not have been possible without the support of the United Church of Hinesburg, and their dedication to addressing food insecurity in the community.
While 2022 marked the final Hearts for Hunger event, Event Director Meaghan McKenna says that the church is dedicated to support the VT Foodbank, and she’ll continue to promote its mission and support the BackPack Program. “This event would not have been possible without the unending support of dozens of volunteers, the United Church of Hinesburg and the Missions and Social Justice Committee, and every single person who participated in this fundraiser. I am so proud to have been a part of this event and what it stands for: every person can make an impact on the needs of their community, large or small. Vermont’s children should not be hungry, and I’ll continue to fight for them.”
