ST. GEORGE — COVID-19 has presented many challenges to St. George Races. Live events, after all, are the lifeblood of this division of the City of St. George’s Leisure Services Department. Yet those challenges mean nothing to someone unable to adequately feed their family, especially during the holiday season.
Despite the cancellation of the live Turkey Trot event, St. George Races will conduct the Virtual Turkey Trot and Drive Thru Food Drive, Nov. 20 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. During that four-hour stretch at the Dixie Convention Center, St. George Races staff and volunteers will be collecting canned food items — a minimum of five per registered participant — to donate to Utah Food Bank.
“This event combines the concept of giving back with the active component of the run,” said Aaron Metler, recreation supervisor for races and special events. “While it won’t bring people together, we hope we can collect a lot of food for the holidays while also encouraging people to stay active during the holiday season.”
The first 500 participants will receive a swag bag with an old race medal, a ticket to the virtual turkey trot event and a St. George Races turkey neck buff. This race has 1-mile and 5-kilometer components. Participants can run this individually from Nov. 20 to 27.
“We hope to help not only Utah Food Bank but to give back to the community by keeping them active and positive,” Metler said. “Our record for the canned food collection is 2,050 pounds and we look forward to trying to top that this year. It’s a challenge but our community is known for people’s generosity, so I think it can happen.”
To register: www.sgcity.org/races/harvestfestivalandturkeytrot