Step up! Support Meals on Wheels 5k Run/Walk

Step-Up for Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County in NH!

We are excited to welcome you to the 4th Annual Step-Up 5K Run-Walk for Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County! It will be our third year at Mine Falls Park, a fantastic venue which welcomes runners and walkers alike! The trails are amazing and offer a wonderful 5K route as well as beautiful 3K walking trails so that walkers will enjoy this day just as much. We are also keeping our Virtual Run-Walk to allow those who cannot attend in person to participate! 

If you do plan to attend, bring your families and friends! This is such a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, get out in the community, and support a phenomenal cause all at the same time! And more fun this year-- the Smoothie Bus will be here. Free smoothie for each registered runner and walker!

*Please note: While we all love our dogs, we do ask that you do not bring yours if you are running in the race. Thank you!

Live Race: May 27th

Virtual Race: May 20-27

Live Race Venue & Address: Mine Falls Park, 7 Stadium Drive, Nashua, NH 03062 (use this address for your GPS)

Live Race Registration and Check-in: 8:30-9:15 AM

Race start time: 9:30 AM

Early bird entrance fee: Adults - $25, Children - $20.00  (through May 5th- price then increases to $30 for adults and $25 for children). 

Route: This is a beautiful trail that runs through the woods and by the river. Some sections are paved but most of the trail is dirt and can be uneven- please be aware if you are considering running with a stroller. Also, the route will be open to the public during the race, so we are asking all to be aware and share the trail.

Giveaways: Your race registration (for both runners and walkers, day-of and virtual) will include: 

                      •   2023 Step-Up T-shirt: (must register before April 21st to be guaranteed a t-shirt). T-shirts for day-of attendees must be picked up at the                                              event. Virtual attendees must pick up their shirts at the HCMOW Administrative Office in Merrimack beginning the week after the event.

                      •   Swag Bag: Day-of attendees must pick up their bags at the event. Virtual attendees must pick up their bags at the HCMOW Administrative                                                Office beginning the week after the event.

                      •   Smoothie: Day- of attendees will receive a free smoothie during the event. Virtual attendees will receive a coupon, good at the bus or store.

Teams: If you would like to create either a fundraising or race team, you can do so during the registration process. If you prefer not to register for the event but would like to donate, fundraise individually, or fundraise as a team, you can do so by going directly to the donate tab at the top of the page.

ABOUT US

Most people know that Meals on Wheels delivers nutritious meals. But what they may not know is that the human connection we provide can also help to improve quality of life and in some cases, even save lives. Isolation has become even more prevalent, within an already lonely population, since the onslaught of the pandemic. Our own participants report that most of the time, our driver is the only visitor they have all week, reflecting a 200% increase in what they reported in 2019. Without human connection—older people’s lives are shortened and they can suffer damage to their mental and physical health and quality of life. With our program, not only do people receive that nutritious meal, but the social interaction we provide, however brief, helps them to feel connected, reassured, and wards off the isolation that can lead to serious health conditions. 

In the past year, we have remained committed to increasing our services to pre-pandemic levels. We have done this successfully in our Meals on Wheels Program and so far, have been able to reopen almost half of our 19 closed community dining sites. The past year has also seen the growth of a promising new donation-based Community Dining Program called the "Dine Out Club," where people over the age of 60 are able to choose a healthy meal from a curated restaurant menu and dine-in at one of our two partner restaurants in Goffstown and Merrimack. It has proven to be very successful and growing very fast, helping to address the loneliness people felt throughout the pandemic. 

Although we have been able to maintain, reopen, and even create new programs, we also are experiencing skyrocketing food and gas costs related to the the pandemic, which have been compounded by inflation. There are still challenges ahead , so we need the support of our community and friends now more than ever.

Since opening its doors in 1977,  Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County has served more than 14.5 million meals, and today we are providing an average of 7,000 meals a week to our older and homebound neighbors throughout Hillsborough County, NH. With those nutritious meals come wellness checks, resources, care/concern follow-up calls and connection to the community.