Going the Extra Mile to Fight Food Insecurity

Every step towards fighting food insecurity can make a difference. And on Saturday, March 14, the community had the chance to prove this during United Food Bank’s inaugural ‘Food for All 5K.’  

Race day kicked off bright and early. Before the sun even had a chance to rise, Freestone Park was already buzzing with activity, where all hands were on deck, setting up water stations, testing speakers and putting the final touches in place. 

As the community began to arrive, the park came to life with the sounds of laughter, music and cowbells ringing to mark the start of the race. With hundreds of participants across all ages and abilities, the event drew an enthusiastic, diverse crowd. Families enjoyed a variety of fun, family-friendly activities, including snapping silly pictures at the photo booth, kids getting their faces painted, and everyone joining a guided pre-race yoga session before the race.

As the first annual ‘Food for All 5K,’ this special event was born out of the desire to enjoy the spring weather and bring the community together, especially after a particularly challenging year. In 2025, United Food Bank and our partner agencies served an average of 130,000 neighbors each month, a record-breaking number. This trend has only continued to increase into 2026. In February, we served 132,000 neighbors, a 21% increase from the 109,000 served the same month in 2025. 

By creating a high-energy spring event, we hoped to allow the community to learn about food insecurity and the growing need while getting their steps in.

“One of the biggest things we can do to help our community, especially in the face of rising food insecurity, is to raise awareness,” shared Mandy Hodges, the Director of Community Engagement at United Food Bank. “It is all about uplifting our neighbors and raising the critical funds to meet the need, while also having a good time together.”

The success of this inaugural event is just the starting line for something great. If this first 5K showed us anything, it’s that when a community comes together for an important cause, it can take small steps towards meaningful change.

We also want to give a special shout-out to Global Payments and Lerner and Rowe for sponsoring this event. Additionally, we want to express our gratitude to our amazing vendors, Raising Cane’s, Whataburger, Playful Faces, Bottles for Bill and the Yoga Witch. Thank you for helping us kick off a new tradition!