Seattle Virtual Turkey Trot – Bringing Food and Hope to Our Neighbors

Dear Ballard Food Bank Supporters,
 
Thank you for your dedicated and active support of Ballard Food Bank’s mission to bring food and hope to our neighbors. As a staff and board of directors, we appreciate greatly your donations, volunteer time, and participation in our events! I’m writing today to share an update about an event that’s been a part of Ballard Food Bank for many years: the Seattle Turkey Trot.
 
Seattle Turkey Trot has been associated with Ballard Food Bank from the beginnings of the race, when a small group of friends decided 15 years ago to do a fun run together on Thanksgiving. They turned it into a fundraiser; it grew each year until the food bank took on the logistics and promotion. It became an annual tradition and a very successful fundraiser for the organization.

During the pandemic, many folks rallied and participated in the remote Trot (thank you!) but participation numbers and fundraising dollars have been down. Now, as we emerge from the pandemic with fresh perspective, like many other individuals and organizations, we are asking ourselves: What events and practices from the past do we want to continue, and which ones are best to say goodbye to?
 
We know that many of you enjoy the Trot, and we thank you for participating enthusiastically. However, after much consideration, we have decided to retire this event. The fact is it takes an extensive amount of time, resources, and logistics to put on this massive event each year during the very hectic holiday season. This is time and energy that could be used to achieve our mission and support our neighbors. While we reflect fondly on the Turkey Trots of the past, we look to the future to debut an exciting new annual event later this summer. We hope you can join us! Stay tuned for more information.
 
Thank you so much for your support and understanding. Above all, thank you for helping to bring healthy food and resources to our neighbors. Please reach out if you have any questions.
 
With gratitude,

on behalf of all of us at the food bank.