AARP and Black Girls RUN! host inaugural Black Girls Run/Drive to End Hunger 5K/10K race weekend

 

CONTACTS AARP Georgia Kevin Doyle kdoyle@aarp.org 404-870-3785

 JayEll Vaughn Black Girls RUN! JayEll.Vaughn@BlackGirlsRUN.com 757-544-1170

Organizations partner to raise awareness of hunger and nutrition

ATLANTA – (July 10, 2012) - AARP and Black Girls RUN! will host the inaugural Black Girls Run/Drive to End Hunger 5K/10K race and fitness weekend on Sept. 14 – 16 in Atlanta.  The event will promote both organizations’ nationwide efforts to raise awareness of of food and nutrition issues and to fight two seemingly unrelated food issues, hunger and obesity.

 “AARP is excited to join with Black Girls RUN! to shine a light on health and nutrition issues that range from too much food to too little.  At AARP, we’re always concerned about the well-being of all those 50 years old and older, but we’re working especially hard now to address hunger among older Americans,” said Pamela Roshell, AARP Georgia State Director.  In 2010, more than 48 million people – nearly 9 million of them 50 and older - in the United States lived in “food insecure” households – households that must wonder whether and how there will be enough food.  In Georgia, just over 9 percent of adults 50 years of age and older are threatened by hunger. At the same time, Black Girls RUN! (BGR), a national fitness organization founded to combat obesity among black women, works to help people make wise food and fitness choices.  Too often, BGR points out, people living in low or moderate income neighborhoods have only limited fresh and healthy food choices at stores and markets convenient to them.  They may also choose foods high in calories and/or fat – foods that seem filling – as they try to stretch their food dollars. “Socio-economic status should not prevent people from having access to healthy foods and fresh produce,” said Toni Carey, co-founder of Black Girls RUN! “We’re excited to partner with AARP to tackle two of the country’s most pervasive problems, and we invite Atlanta and our Black Girls RUN! members across the country to join us in this one-of-a-kind event.” The Black Girls Run/Drive to End Hunger 5K/10K is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 16, and is open to all runners aged 12 and above. Leading up to the race, AARP and BGR will collect healthy non-perishable food items from participants, volunteers, and the public.  The organizations will work to collect 100,000 pounds of food to be donated to Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless in Atlanta. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to AARP Foundation and Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless. Along with the road race, BGR will host its inaugural national conference for BGR members on Friday, Sept. 14, and Saturday, Sept. 15.  The conference will include a variety of workshops and learning opportunities designed to provide women with the tools and resources they need to live a healthy and active lifestyle. “The weekend will give BGR members an opportunity to meet new friends and spend time together, learn, celebrate their accomplishments and celebrate the growth of Black Girls RUN!,” said Carey. “From workshops and clinics to a special celebration dinner, members can expect a one-of-a-kind event.” Membership is free and open to all women.  To become a member, visit www.BlackGirlsRUN.com. Registration for the Black Girls Run/Drive to End Hunger 5K/10K is open now. For more information about the event; a complete schedule of activities; instructions on how to donate food items; how to volunteer; or to register, visit www.aarp.org/blackgirlsrun. AARP Georgia’s collaboration in the Black Girls Run/Drive to End Hunger 5K/10K is part of a much larger, nationwide effort by AARP and AARP Foundation to respond to a worrisome trend.  “Hunger among older Americans age 50 and above has spiked nearly 80 percent since 2001,” Roshell said. “That’s why AARP Foundation is working to end hunger among older Americans through Drive to End Hunger.  When we work with groups like Black Girls RUN! to benefit Hosea Feed the Hungry and AARP Foundation, we know we can make a difference,” Roshell said. Drive to End Hunger is a multi-year commitment to solve the problem of hunger among older Americans by providing short- and long-term sustainable solutions to the problem of older adult hunger through:

• Awareness building via an innovative, cause-related collaboration with four-time NASCAR Cup Champion Jeff Gordon and team owner Rick Hendrick.
• Enhancing and supplementing distribution networks by collaborating with national and community partners like food banks and food pantries.
• Generating resources through fundraising campaigns, like Text HUNGER to 50555*, giving online via drivetoendhunger.org or through special events like  the Black Girls Run/Drive to End Hunger 5K/10K race.
• SNAP outreach and enrollment assistance.
• Developing long-term, viable solutions to hunger through grant-making.

To date, AARP Foundation has donated more than 12 million meals to local hunger relief organizations across the country, including food banks and food pantries like Hosea Feed the Hungry.   Drive to End Hunger supports the hunger solutions of AARP Foundation, an AARP affiliated charity. For more information on AARP events and services in Georgia, visit the AARP Georgia website at http://www.aarp.org/states/ga/. AARP AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, our bilingual multimedia platform for Hispanic members; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  AARP Georgia serves the state of Georgia from its headquarters in Atlanta. Black Girls RUN! Black Girls RUN! is a national running group that started in 2009 founded by Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks. The organization has grown to include more than 60 running groups across the nation with more than 25,000 members.  The group was created to help stop the obesity epidemic among the African- American community and dispel the myth that black women do not run.  The groups include beginner and experienced runners and provide a support system to help members reach their fitness goals. Black Girls RUN! provides a community and inspires all women to run. For more information about Black Girls RUN!, visit www.BlackGirlsRUN.com. Hosea Feed the Hungry Hosea Feed the Hungry was founded in 1970 by Civil rights leaders Hosea and Juanita T. Williams.  The free holiday dinners for the hungry and homeless have become signature events in Atlanta and have helped establish Hosea Feed the Hungry as one of the city’s most respected community service organizations. * A $10.00 donation will go to AARP FOUNDATION. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Message and data rates may apply. You will receive two confirmation texts. Reply STOP to 50555 to STOP. Reply HELP to 50555 for HELP.

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