Anyone who knows me, knows that I truly enjoy eating. I’m so appreciative that I live where I have a wide variety of food available AND that I have the money to buy the food I want. It is amazing how many can’t afford tasty and nutritious food.

With gratitude for what I have, I’m a long-time supporter of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. A study from 2006-2007 showed an estimated 42,000 people receive food assistance EACH WEEK from non-profits that partner with the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The need is greater now with the challenges in our economy.

The Roswell-tree is a fun example of one of the ways I help the Food Bank and get other people involved. My friend Sally founded the “Tree” in 2006 and I’ve been a Co-Committee Chair since 2007. With our slogan of “Running for Breakfast,” the Atlanta Community Food Bank was a natural fit as the cause for our quirky race to support. You can read the history and the rules of the Roswell-tree at www.Roswelltree.org.

Sally and I love to have fun, love to get people together and love to help others. So, the Roswell-tree is a great way to have a Win/Win/Win experience for everyone. The best part of our July 4th extravaganza is that everyone wins. This year, each participant won their unique division, we raised $2,500 for the Atlanta Community Food Bank and we had fun all morning – at the race and afterward at breakfast. Check out the photos from this year’s event.

Our new rule for 2009 was that each participant had to do a celebratory dance over the finish line. Wow, were people creative! Fleet Feet gift certificates went to the top 4 winners as judged by Santa. (Sally and I each got a “Caught Being Nice” button from Santa!) The Roswell-tree always has the best sponsors and the coolest participants. Kudos to everyone on making this year’s event the best so far.

Mark the Roswell-tree on your calendar for July 4, 2010. The Committee already has some big plans to the make the 5th Annual Roswell-tree even better. You won’t want to miss it.

PS: Now is the perfect time to make a donation to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. John Smoltz, former Atlanta Braves pitcher, will double the impact of your gift! He has offered a $25,000 matching grant to inspire supporters of the Food Bank to give. Donate here.

Tags: Atlanta Community Food Bank, food, John Smoltz, Roswell-tree, Sally Jamara, Santa, Vanessa Lowry

This entry was posted on July 20, 2009 at 12:14 pm and is filed under food, fun, non-profits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.