The founder of the company where I work started a "Turkey Trot" five years go to benefit a local food bank. He took the time to set up a very simple website to

The founder of the company where I work started a "Turkey Trot" five years go to benefit a local food bank. He took the time to set up a very simple website to register "runners" for the event ($25 is asked per person, but not everyone pays, obviously), and got the permission from the city to have a few police officers make sure participants weren't run over. Truth is, it is more of a community event almost like a parade, where some people wear turkey hats, dress up their dogs in costumes, and everyone has a little fun Thankgiving morning before everyone overeats later in the day. But if you want to run 5k you can. Most walk. In any event, that first year a few hundred people attended. This year, it's estimated that over three thousand people participated. You can do the math for the ticket sales. Several of us volunteer our time to support this annual event now (I do the postcards & posters). This year we even received generous corporate sponsorships to further reduce overhead costs. It's only once a year, so it isn't a huge time drain. But the impact is incredible and does help a lot of people in need. If almost every neighborhood could do this...