It’s time once again for Elmhurst residents and others to break out the turkey hats, the turkey costumes for the kids, the cranberry necklaces and earrings – yes, even the occasional Speedos – for the 41st running of the Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot.
It’s a rare combination of pageantry and philanthropy as up to 8,000 runners and walkers tackle part or all of the 5K (3.1 mile) course through Elmhurst for fun with a serious purpose – feeding the hungry in DuPage County.
“We figure we’ve exceeded $4 million (in donations) over the years,” founder Dan Gibbons said. “Last year we wrote checks for $220,000.”
Those checks, which typically go out to beneficiaries by mid-December, will go to more than a dozen food pantries and other community resource providers, including the Elmhurst Walk-In Assistance Network, DuPage PADS, the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry, HCS Family Services and Loaves and Fishes Community Services, among others.
A full list of expected beneficiaries and information on donating and registering for the event can be found at https://dangibbonsturkeytrot.org/. The website also includes a history of the event and a minute-by-minute schedule leading up to the 9 a.m. start on race day morning, Thursday, Nov. 28.
In mostly affluent DuPage County, hunger can be a nearly invisible problem, unless you notice the long lines of cars at local food pantries.
“The thing that drives me nuts about this hunger problem is that on any given night 80,000 people in DuPage will go to bed hungry and 20,000 to 25,000 of those are kids,” Gibbons said. “You know, a child who goes to school hungry, they can’t think about learning or grades or studying or math. All they can think about is being hungry.”
Race day pageantry includes the Men of Spirito singing a patriotic medley, the National Anthem sung by Jim Cornelison, who performs at various sporting events including Chicago Blackhawk games, and – weather permitting – the roar of vintage T-34 Mentor aircraft flown by the pilots of the Naperville-based Lima Lima Flight Team.
Over the weekend of Nov. 23 and 24, in addition to online registration, prospective runners and walkers can register and pick up a t-shirt and packet at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 537 S. York St. in Elmhurst. Race day registration can also be done near the race starting point, Park and Cottage Hill avenues.
Gibbons has high hopes for this year’s results.
“I would love very much to write checks for $250,000 this December,” he said. “I would love to be able to say that this year we wrote checks for a quarter of a million dollars. It just gives me goosebumps to think about.”
Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
