Over the past 5 years one of our physics community events has been participation in the annual Running of the Turkeys. This is a Thanksgiving morning 5k run to raise funds for the Yolo Food Bank. For the past 2 years we managed to win the prize for largest team with over 50 runners. We also had the best name, “The Running Coupling Constants” (although this was not officially recognized). Many of us who did not run, participated by making donations. I am grateful to Richard Scalettar and David Wittman who, for many years, created a matching fund, and I am grateful to all who have donated to this cause, via the RCC, over the years, as well as those who have joined us for the run. In the past couple years, our donations plus registration fees totalled more than $5,000. Bringing this scale of contribution to the event always felt really good. Combined with the speical spirit at the event, it made Thanksgiving morning my favorite morning of they year. It has also given me one more reason to be proud of being a member of this physics department community.

 

So I am saddened that we are unable to put on the event this year. The Yolo Food Bank Board of Directors (on which I serve) recognized months ago that with the construction of our new facility underway, an associated capital campaign underway, and our lease running out in early 2019 for our current facility, we could not devote the staff time to the event.

 

Not holding the event this year is the right decision for the food bank, for the right reasons. The new facility will greatly expand our capacity to accept food donations, and our ability to share our county's agricultural abundance with those in need. 

 

We are not, at this time, committing to putting it on next year. I hope we will have a Running of the Turkeys in 2019. We will be working on finding a suitable partner to take on the event management, to permanently reduce the burden on Food Bank staff, so they can be more focused on YFB operations that serve 19,000 Yolo County households every month.

 

I am sorry to bring this news to those of you who have enjoyed participating in the event. Please know I am deeply grateful for your past participation. 

 

For a bit more on this news, you can see the article in today’s Woodland Daily Democrat.