HESSCO Elder Services in Sharon is once again partnering with Mick Morgan’s Irish Pub for the 6th Annual Mick Morgan’s St. Patrick’s 5K. This event, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 18, is HESSCO’s largest fundraiser and coincides with the national March for Meals campaign. The campaign mobilizes hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs across the country to reach out to their communities and build support – a perfect opportunity to shed light on HESSCO’s Nutrition Program.
With the assistance of an impressive nearly 700 volunteers, HESSCO packages and delivers an average of 130,000 home delivered meals each year and serves an additional 30,000 meals annually in dining room settings. Volunteer drivers not only deliver a hot, nutritious meal, but they provide a wellness check and a friendly visit. For many, this is the difference needed to maintain dignity and independence at home.
Race registration begins at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, with a 9:00 a.m. start. Pre-race day bib, runners’ bag and tee-shirt pick up is scheduled for Thursday, March 16, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Pre-registration is available online or by mail. The cost of pre-registration is a non-refundable $30. Walk-in registration is $35. Attractive, long sleeve performance tech tee-shirts are included in the registration fee for the first 300 paid registrants.
The race route starts at Mick Morgan’s Irish Pub, Route 1 on the Sharon/Walpole line, up Baker Street into Walpole, and back to finish at Mick Morgan’s. There will be awards for the best overall male, overall female, and fastest team. Medals will also be awarded to the top three male and female best times in seven different age categories.
Race Director Brian Johnson is a veteran to the planning committee, this being his sixth year at the helm. “I was approached by HESSCO, via the Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce, because I had been involved with organizing a number of road races … I was familiar with HESSCO and what they do, so I was happy to get involved … I am thrilled that this race has quickly become so popular thanks to the hard work of the staff at HESSCO, the staff at Mick Morgan’s Irish Pub and the many volunteers that have participated since the start.”
The race has strong community support and corporate sponsorship which helps to defray operational expenses. On race day, many sponsors will be on site with information and giveaways. There will also be raffles, entertainment, refreshments, a photo booth, and an after-party on site.
All proceeds from this race will be used to support HESSCO to continue its mission of delivering meals to those who have difficulty making their own, providing homemaking and home health aide services to those in need, advocating for residents in nursing facilities, counseling Medicare recipients on health insurance options and protecting seniors from neglect and abuse.
For more information on HESSCO, Mick Morgan’s 6th Annual St. Patrick’s 5K or March for Meals, visit www.HESSCO.org, call (781-784-4944) or visit the race page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mickmorgans5k.
