TAMUT alumni have announced their first annual Texarkana Cares Virtual 5K Race, set to take place on March 27th. The race was created to provide and encourage community support for the TAMUT Eagle Pantry, which provides struggling students with crucial food items and other personal hygiene products for free.
The Eagle Pantry, established in the Fall of 2019, closed down in the Spring of 2020 with the arrival of the COVID Pandemic. “When Michael Stephenson, our Assistant Director of Student Life, started exploring the option of starting a student food pantry, he put together a poll that found that 30% of the students did not have enough food at least once during their college careers. Of those students, 15% stated they lacked food at least 3 times a semester,” says Professor Drew Morton of TAMUT. The continued need for the pantry has become critical as it reopened in the Fall of 2021. “We want our students to focus on their schoolwork and succeed in the classroom, not feeling anxiety and stress over their next meal,” says Morton.
In order to give back to TAMUT and to build community support for the pantry, alumni members have joined together creating the Texarka Cares Virtual 5K. “The race offers participants a variety of ways to participate: run, walk, swim, bike, or hike. The designated race day is March 27th 2021, but it is virtual so you can submit your results before the March 27th deadline,” said Morton. The goal of the 5K is to encourage community members to have fun at their own pace and leisure while providing crucial support for the Eagle Pantry.
Participants of the race have the opportunity to share their journey on the Facebook Event Page, and can complete their own 5K at their leisure. Before completing, participants must register in order for proceeds to go directly to the pantry. Race information can be found below:
Racers can register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/TX/Texarkana/TexarkanaCaresVirtual5K?fbclid=IwAR2e_BmBSragOwpvwCsZ9lkUlOSXX-QD_y8sLr90k_Z1IY5FnCg_FXGvdOg&remMeAttempt=
Facebook Event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/423114479142115