Stockton Turkey Trot: Community gathers to run and walk against hunger Thanksgiving morning

The annual Run and Walk Against Hunger returned to the streets of Stockton this Thanksgiving.

After the Stockton/San Joaquin Emergency Food Bank hosted it digitally in 2020, the community gathered in person again for it’s 17th edition Thursday, Nov. 25 at Stockton Ballpark. 

“We’re back!” Leonard Hansen, chief executive officer of the Stockton/San Joaquin Emergency Food Bank excitedly said. “It’s an enormous thing!” 

Runners started to arrive about 6:30 a.m., sporting jackets, pants, and beanies to keep warm as the sun was barely rising. By 8 a.m., the crowd was energized and ready to see the kids start their race before the 5K and 10K circuits.  

Since the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic then limited community gatherings — and the food bank hosted the race online last year — “we were generously supported by several regular sponsors, and we had people who signed up and did it virtually,” Hansen said.  

“We are very grateful for the (community’s) support," he said. "We have been buoyed up all the way through this pandemic by the support of individuals and businesses in Stockton. It has been truly a grateful experience for us.”  

Each year, organizers aim to fundraise around $100,000 per race. They have fundraised $1.5 million since the race started almost two decades ago, Hansen said. This year, they estimated 2,000 runners and walkers signed up. Close to 1,800 individuals were pre-registered before Thursday and others signed up in person the morning of the race.   

Hansen said 2,100 runners and walkers signed up in 2019. “To come back with a similar number is not only good for the food bank, but for society,” he said. “It means we are coming out of it (the pandemic).”  

Thanksgiving — and race-running — Day  

After a year without physical, community gatherings, many runners returned to the ballpark for their early morning Thanksgiving tradition: running the Emergency Food Bank’s race.  

Volunteers, kids, and long-time runners alike chatted across the parking lot. The crowd's energy grew the closer watches were to marking 8 a.m., the start of the kids race.  

“We see strollers, we see dogs, we see walkers, we see bikes, we see it all! And it’s all to support the foodbank,” said Alesha Pichler, community relations manager for the Stockton/San Joaquin Emergency Food Bank. “It’s not just for the serious runners, it’s for everybody!” 

Tracy High School student and volunteer Alyssa Cordae, 14, “wanted to help out the race against hunger. ... I think that this is a really good cause, and it really helps out the community," she said as she handed out shirts and registered people along with her father, Quinn Cordae. 

Lincoln High School cheer team encouraged the crowd, their silver pom poms shimmering under the morning sun. Babette Davis, the team’s coach, was excited they could be back after not being able to participate last year because of COVID-19 restrictions.  

“We have been helping the Emergency Food Bank for the past 10 years, supporting emergency food need and any of their events,” Davis said. “This is something that we love to do.” 

Nina Sprinkle has participated in the food bank’s race for several years, becoming one of her Thanksgiving traditions. This year, “our group is about 15 people,” made up of friends and family wearing matching orange shirts that read “oh snap,” along with a doodled cracked wishbone.   

Cebella Rivera Cardenas, 8, was “tired but excited,” to get her medal after completing the kids race. She’s been running it all her life — “at least eight times,” said her mom, Rene Rivera. “She was in my belly when she started,” Rivera said of the family tradition her children became part of since she was pregnant with Cebella.   

Mascots from local teams — Dunkson from the Stockton Kings, Frankie from the Stockton Heat, and Splash from the Stockton Ports — cheered on participants as the race started at 8:45 a.m. 

Some runners sported long-sleeved shirts and dynamic winter gear while others braved the cold in shorts and athletic tank tops — some even shirtless — as the temperature rose from a chilly 39 to a sunny 51 degrees.  

Stocktonian Karl Winter, 21, finished in first place for the men’s 5K run with a time of 15:43 minutes. “It was a lot of fun, as it is every year,” he said. The senior journalism student at Pepperdine University was “glad to be back,” after last year’s race was held virtually.  

Soon after, Jorge Manchuca finished in first place for the men’s 10K run with a time of 15:55 minutes. The 18-year-old Stocktonian San Joaquin Delta College student thanked people as they approached to congratulate him.  

Audrey Garcia came through the finish line at the 20:08 minute mark, finishing in first place for the women’s 5K run. It was the second time the 19-year-old college student from Lodi ran the race.  

As the hundreds of runners who previously stood on Fremont Street — packing the block between Van Buren and Lincoln Streets — made their way through the finish line, puppies and longtime pets, babies in strollers and college students, gathered with the community, helped the food bank and had a joyful Thanksgiving.  

The Emergency Food Bank's work 

The same crew organizing and working the race fed 2,000 cars worth of people, “which represents about 7,000 folks at the Turkey Dinner at the Fairgrounds,” earlier this week, Hansen said.   

Though the race was hosted online in 2020, the food bank continued with its work and served 177,955 low-income San Joaquin County residents and gave away 6.4 million pounds of food, Hansen said. “That’s 110% more food than what we gave away and 43% more people served than in 2019. … We’re up 19% in people served this year over the pandemic year (2020) and we will probably distribute 7.5 million pounds of food this year.” 

While preparation for the race was underway on Tuesday, Nov. 23, ABC10 reported a homeless encampment was removed from an Interstate 5 underpass to make way for the race’s path near Weber Avenue and Washington Street. “I heard about that yesterday (Wednesday, Nov. 24) and we were quite surprised because we were unaware,” Hansen said.  

“We did not know (about) anything that was going on there, hadn’t had any discussions with anyone," he said. So, we were just surprised. It was not something that we needed or thought that we needed or contemplated.” 

“We reach out on a regular basis — weekly, minimum — to the homeless encampments,” Hansen said. He further chatted about how the food bank staff takes two vans filled with food to homeless encampments and sets up pop-up pantries, “inside the major encampments that the District Attorney’s Office has mapped so carefully.” 

Once a week food bank staff distribute food at the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless and with the Salvation Army along with the Stockton Fire department’s HOT team (Homeless Team Impact), “so we are into serving the homeless, not doing anything else,” Hansen said.  

Record reporter Laura Diaz covers social justice and societal issues. She can be reached at ldiaz@recordnet.com or on Twitter @laurasdiaz_. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.