Events
5k Run/Walk
Place
Fresno, CA US 93706
Description
Building Community Together
🍇 Heard It Through the Grapevine… Fresno Is Running Like a Raisin! 🍇
Highway City Community Development (HCCD) invites you to the 2nd Annual Run for Roots 5K – “Heard It Through the Grapevine” Edition, where runners, walkers, families, and costumed raisins come together to celebrate West Fresno’s community, culture, and agricultural legacy.
This year’s race honors our area’s deep roots in agriculture—and a fun piece of Fresno history. Participants are encouraged to dress as raisins or “Raisin Eaters,” inspired by Fresno’s first professional baseball team from 1906. Set against the iconic vineyards of Kearney Park, this run is playful, meaningful, and uniquely Fresno.
Whether you’re chasing a personal best, walking with friends, or racing in full raisin costume, Run for Roots is about more than the finish line—it’s about celebrating who we are and where we come from.
Why We Run (It’s Bigger Than the Finish Line)
Since 1998, HCCD has been planting seeds of opportunity and cultivating resident leadership right here in West Fresno and the West of 99 / Central Unified area.
In 2025 alone, HCCD:
- Served 10,000+ community members through classes, workshops, outreach and community events
- Supported nearly 1,000 families during moments of crisis
- Expanded access to food assistance, care navigation, education, housing advocacy, health resources, arts & culture, and community development
Your participation helps sustain a place where community, culture, agriculture, and families can grow—together.
*Note the race will occur rain or shine.
Swag
All participants receive:
- Race Shirt guaranteed if registered before March 15th
- Finishers Medal
- Breakfast goodies
- Swag Bag with great goodies!
Packet pickup
Friday March 20th 4:30-7:00pm
- Teague Community Resource Center 4718 N Polk Ave
Saturday April 26th 7:45am-8:15am
- at the park, near the race start (Sports Complex area) - Section 1
Course map
Pet Friendly
Friendly Dogs are Welcome. Must be leashed, be cognizant of other runners around you.
Awards
- Age group awards
- Overall Winners trophies
- Best Costume Award: Depiction of the theme "Heard it Through the Grapevine" - community, ag, raisins/grapes, Fresno Raisin Eaters baseball (1906), historical West Area
Be the Change
Invest in a Thriving Community
Highway City Community Development (HCCD) and the Teague Community Resource Center is more than a nonprofit—we are the central HUB for 55,000 residents in an area where services are scarce, opportunities are limited, and barriers to success are real.
We want all families to succeed and thrive, and our center is the perfect HUB to do that. From crisis navigation to developing a center for art & culture that everyone can enjoy, to health services and classes, we are a true center for the community!
But we can’t do it alone.
Our 2025 Mission: Expanding Impact, Changing Lives
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Food, Crisis Support & Care Navigation – 85% of those we serve are women or mothers with children. We provide food security, workforce training, and crisis navigation, including domestic violence support.
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Accessible Healthcare – Our area should have 30+ doctors for its size—we have only 2. We're expanding health clinics available to all at our center to close this gap. We have negotiated several partnerships to provide services for families & children at our center monthly.
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Safe & Sustainable Neighborhoods – Infrastructure, beautification, sidewalks, bike lanes, and pedestrian safety projects, plus an this 5K run to promote healthy living in our large community space of intertwined city and county spaces.
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Education & Youth Empowerment – STEAM programs, leadership development, and mentorship to unlock potential and create pathways for success. Working in collaboration with Central Unified, CSUFresno and FCC to develop pathways of success for children through young adults!
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Affordable Housing & Advocacy – Pioneering policy change and development to keep families housed and strengthen our community, we are also in the planning stages of building a mixed-use development!
This is Why We Do What We Do
Every day, we meet people like Joe, May, Zeke and Alisia—neighbors who just need someone to walk alongside them.
Joe was a homeless high school student, on the verge of slipping through the cracks. But the village that is HCCD surrounded him. We found him temporary housing, helped him graduate, and now? He has a job, his license, and is attending college.
May was escaping domestic violence with two small children, terrified of losing everything. She didn’t need to move—she needed a support system. With guidance and care, she’s now employed, healing, and watching her children thrive in school.
Zeke, a disabled veteran, called because he was out of food for the month. We got him set up with resources, but more than that—Zeke is a storyteller, a leader. Now, he’s stepping up as a volunteer and advocate for others like him.
Alisia wanted to get involved in her community. A newer resident to the West Area she saw things she thought could use improvement, and the community as a whole that needed advocacy, and she is now not only an actively engaged resident, she is on our HCCD board!
At HCCD, we don’t just provide services—we change outcomes. Every dollar, every hour of support creates stories like these. Join us and be part of the impact.
Fill the Pantry
We will be collecting donations for the food pantry at packet pickup and on race morning.
We know food is usually the "tip of the iceberg" for a family, so we don't stop there. Care navigation is part of the process. Helping families gain the tools, so they move from survive to thrive!
Race Contact Info
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
