Thousands of people are expected to start Thanksgiving Day at the FishHawk Turkey Trot, held annually to assist Seeds of Hope and its nonprofit mission to nourish hope through food distributions and community service. This year marks the 15th annual FishHawk Turkey Trot.
Seeds of Hope traces its roots to Leda Eaton and her kids, who as Newsome High School runners earned community service hours by staging a Thanksgiving Day race. The event has grown to attract more than 2,000 people who commit to race, walk and volunteer in support of Seeds of Hope, which students help run under the mentorship of adult leaders.
One such leader is Bronwyn Fowler, who for three years served as a volunteer in support of her children and their mission to earn community service through Seeds of Hope. Fowler has since taken over administrative duties for Seeds of Hope, founded in 2009.
Working with students from area schools, “I like that from the kids’ perspective, Seeds of Hope empowers kids to get involved, gives them leadership roles and shows them a real need that’s happening in their own community,” Fowler said. “We’re meeting a need that sometimes we don’t realize exists, in the capacity that it does.”
Seeds of Hope distributes 300 boxes of food every Thursday on-site at the Presbyterian Church of Bloomingdale, located at 710 E. Bloomingdale Ave. Through its Backpack of Hope program, operating this year out of Barrington Middle School, Seeds of Hope distributes about 150 bags of food weekly to ensure students in need and their families have enough food to eat over the weekend. Moreover, Seeds of Hope employs a mobile pantry when specific needs arise.
Supporting it all is the annual FishHawk Turkey Trot, for which registration and sponsorship inquiries are now being accepted. The deadline for early-bird pricing of the 5K and 10K timed races, the 5K untimed race, the 1-mile fun run and the 250-yard mini run (for kids, and kids at heart) is Friday, November 17. Race day registration, at a higher cost, is set to begin at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, November 23, in the Publix parking lot at 5642 FishHawk Crossing Blvd.
To register, and for more on race particulars, sponsorships, Seeds of Hope and collection, food drive and volunteer opportunities, visit www.sohopefl.org/2023-turkey-trot-run.
