Lace up your running shoes for the sixth annual RunFurShelter 5K/10K Run/Walk Sunday, May 22, 2016, to benefit the pets of senior citizens in the Salvation Army’s Golden Diners program.

The event, held at Advocate Sherman Outpatient Care Center in South Elgin, will help provide pet food and alleviate veterinary costs for the seniors enrolled in the program.

The course at Advocate Sherman is flat and scenic, a great surface for all participants, from serious runners to folks who just want to get out and walk for a good cause.

RunForShelter provides pet food to homebound seniors, which enables them to keep their furry companions — a key to combating loneliness and depression.

• Click here to register for the run.

For more information or to register, visit www.runfurshelter.com or contact event director Tanya Esquivel at 224-805-3722. If you’d like to volunteer to help run the event, email Volunteer @ runfurshelter2016@aol.com

How RunFurShelter Came to Be

Nancy Meaney was waiting to run in the Fox Trot in 2000 when it occurred to her that she would like to organize her own race someday. She didn’t know what cause she might champion, but she knew she had the interest and the skill sets to put together a successful race.

Almost a decade later, Meaney met Sara Johnson and Tanya Esquivel at a gym, and they quickly became close friends. Meaney mentioned to them that she always wanted to have her own race, and they started talking about doing just that. Although their first thought wasn’t about helping pets, it soon became apparent, as animal lovers, that this was the direction they wanted to take.

They held their first race in 2011 and gave all the proceeds to an animal shelter. The following year, 2012, their race proceeds went to help an animal shelter and two rescue groups. The third year, the race proceeds went to three rescue groups.

That year, Johnson and Esquivel read an article about the Salvation Army Golden Diner Nutritional Program. The article noted that many homebound seniors who receive meals from the Salvation Army only have their pets to keep them company and went on to say that many seniors were actually sharing their meals with their pets. Meaney, Johnson and Esquivel set up a meeting with the Salvation Army Golden Diners and have become partners in providing food to those pets since their 2014 race.

These three women are the board of directors that created the nonprofit organization that is holding its sixth annual race Sunday, May 22, 2016 in South Elgin.

For more information go to: RUNFURSHELTER.com

CREDIT: RunFurShelter Facebook page

About RunFurShelter

RunFurShelter is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching and saving the lives of animals. RunFurShelter is an agent of change for the animal welfare world and a dedicated volunteer group, serving the Fox Valley area and beyond. The organization raises funds to provide food, shelter and medical necessities for deserving companions.

Pet Memorials and Rescue Stories

RunFurShelter has created a new page on its website for stories of pets that are no longer with us. See their pictures and read their rescue stories on the Pet Memorials Page, or find it under the Animal Causes tab.
RFS has added some new rescue stories on the Rescues Page, which has been moved to under the Animal Causes tab.

If you have a rescue story you would like to share, email it to runfurshelter2013@gmail.com.

SOURCE: RunFurShelter news release and website