DAPHNE, Ala.—Some people were cheering at the finish line as race contestants completed the 5K run through downtown Daphne.

Some were huffing and puffing when they reached the race’s end.

Some were enjoying a brisk, cold, Saturday morning walk.

Some — like Scott Roberts, of Fairhope, and Steve Harris, of Pensacola — were battling for a position down the stretch.

“Scott set the pace most of the way,” Harris, the runner-up, said.

“I do better when I’m ahead and someone’s breathing down my neck,” Roberts, the race winner, said.

However, most had a reason for participating in Prodisee Pantry’s first Turkey Trot 5K and Fun Run that went beyond running a race. Some liked that it was local, and others just enjoyed giving back to the community. Prodisee Pantry representatives stated they believe they raised around $8,000 at the races. Prodisee Pantry plans to use the funds raised to offset the cost of providing traditional Thanksgiving holiday food to an estimated 1,500 Baldwin County families, said Deann Servos, the organization’s executive director.

“I like it especially because it’s in the local community of Daphne,” Steven Savarese, a Daphne resident, said of the race. “We talk about it in our (work) offices to give back to the community you live in.”

“Everybody’s a winner,” said Ann Jackson, who ran in the one-mile Fun Run. “It’s a way to give back to those in need.”

“It’s local. It helps Baldwin County families,” said Joanne Caglione of Spanish Fort. “Everything raised stays here.”

Prodisee Pantry reportedly helped 1,100 families last year, but the struggling economy raised the bar this year, Servos said.

“We want to be warm and fuzzy and make sure that families feel supported,” Servos said. “When they see these traditional meals and they can’t provide for their families, it’s heartbreaking. So, we want to make sure that we can help provide some on that special day.”

The 5K run began and ended on Main Street in front of W.O. Lott Park, with post-race activities at the park.

In the 5K race, prizes were handed to the top three males and females in the overall, 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and 60-and-older age groups. Top males and females in the 9-and-under, 10-to-14, 15-to-19, 20-to-24, 25-to-29, 30-to-24, 35-to-39, 40-to-44, 45-to-49, 50-to-54, 55-to-59, 60-to-64, 65-to-69, 70-to-74 and 75-to-99 age groups also received prizes.

In the Fun Run, the top three overall male and female 14 years old and under received a prize.

Turkey-themed prizes included turkey platters, turkey baskets, turkey windsocks, turkey drink sleeves and others.

“You can get water bottles and things, and if you’re a runner you probably have lots of them,” Servos said. “The turkey prizes will remind them of the turkey trot.”

The race is part of the emergency food program’s five-week “It’s About Hunger” program, which is tied to the audio and photographic exhibit “About Hunger and Resilience.” The exhibit runs through Nov. 12 at the Eastern Shore Art Center in Fairhope, offering local residents a glimpse into the lives of 30 people across the country struggling with hunger or who have emerged stronger from the experience.

Each week the Spanish Fort-based food pantry volunteers provide around 175 families approximately $120 worth of groceries, the Spanish Fort organization stated.

For more information about Prodisee Pantry, call 626-1720.

See the Nov. 3 edition of The Bulletin for a complete list of Turkey Trot winners.

(Staff video by Devin R. Golden; edited by Thomas Boni)

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