Oregon Thanksgiving Day Run

Sometimes event sponsor logos are given a quick glance on t-shirts or on websites. But to us, our sponsors are WAY more important than that and deserve HUGE recognition for the difference they make in our community.

Sponsors are often the unsung heroes of community events. Without the generous support of local businesses, many charity events and arts and school programs would be lost. These businesses help to make Sherwood the wonderful community that it is!

Today, we “sing” about our Title, Platinum and Gold Sponsors and hope that you have a look, patronize their businesses, and thank them for supporting this year’s Give n’ Gobble in Sherwood!

2011 Title Sponsor
Shelly Rath, real estate broker with Prudential Northwest Properties

Platinum Sponsors
Davidson Benefits Planning, LLC
Designers’ Litho
Providence Newberg Medical Center
The UPS Store of Sherwood
Road Runner Sports
Sherwood Dental Care
The YMCA
The Ultimate Tan & Med Spa

Gold Sponsors
Fisher Roofing
The Sherwood Gazette
Road ID
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club
Sysco
Showplace Landscape Services
Walk About Magazine
The Carpe Viam Group
Adams Screenprint
Pacific Family Dental
PDX Wraps Vehicle Graphics
Crossfit Elite - Forging Elite Fitness
Bittner Dentistry for Kids
Stacy Sells Your Home

MANY, MANY THANKS TO OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS!

If you’re new to Sherwood’s Give n’ Gobble 5K Run & Walk and 10K Run, check out this video to see what we’re all about.

If you’ve been a dedicated Give n’ Gobbler, have watch and see if you can see yourself! Enjoy!

We can ever leave well-enough alone it seems. As soon as we think we’ve got the Give n’ Gobble as good as we can make it, we find another thing to improve it. This time we’ve been lured by the high-tech gadgetry of chip timing.

Chip timing is an extremely accurate computerized method of race timing. At this year’s event in Sherwood, runners will be given a lightweight, disposable chip to wear that uniquely identifies them as they cross strategically placed sensors.

By using chip timing, we eliminate many of the difficulties of traditional timing methods - like crowded start and finish lines, runners wearing the wrong numbers, matching times with numbers, and other human errors.

This is technology that major races like the Boston and New York City marathons use, so we’re excited to bring it to Sherwood!

The only downfall to chip testing for runners is that they can’t “fudge” their times anymore. Sorry! :^)

10)  Last year this event raised nearly $21,000, funding local food bank for an entire year and feeding hundreds of families.

9)  Helping needy families is the perfect excuse to escape the in-laws for a while.

8)  We’ve got chip timing this year - we’re going high-tech!

7)  Great chance to help your kids see how easy it is to help others.

6)  The opportunity to see what 8 tons of food donations looks like.

5) You know you won’t be doing anything physical after your tryptophan-induced Thanksgiving coma.

4)  You’re determined not to wear your “stretchy” pants this year.

3)  Online Registration is EASY!

2) The cool FREE t-shirt you get when you donate a bag on non-perishable food.

1)  You get to enjoy the rest of the day knowing you did something healthy for you and helped others too!

Go ahead and register…you know you want to!

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.” - Edward Everett Hale

Money is tight these days for many of us, but there are important ways that we can all give back to the community that don’t require much financial or time commitment.

By donating used coats, serving meals at a shelter, giving a few cans of food, or just walking in a charity fun run like the Give n’ Gobble here in Sherwood, you can not only help those in need but also teach your children about compassion and empathy. Children look to us as mentors. So by seeing a simple act of charity performed by their parents or other family members, children are more likely to engage in the same behavior. Good deeds breed more good deeds!

Here are the simple ways you can join us in helping needy Oregon families this Thanksgiving:

1) Register for the 5k or 10k Thanksgiving Day Run in Sherwood, Oregon

2) Volunteer the day of the event

3) Spread the message by becoming a fan on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

So you’ve registered for the Give n’ Gobble! Yay! You’ve committed to doing something fun and healthy on Thanksgiving Day - and helping those less fortunate in our community. Good for you…good for all of us!

So after the race, maybe you want to continue your healthy ways and not gorge yourself on the heavy Thanksgiving foods. OK, so a little gorging will be OK, you did just run, walk or jog 5K or 10K.

But if you are looking for some healthy alternatives to the usual butter-laden Thanksgiving goodies, check out this menu idea…

Pumpkin Soup - 72 calories/serving
Healthy Green Bean Casserole - 212 calories/serving
Fennel, Sausage, and Caramelized Apple Stuffing - 180 calories/serving
Herbed, Roasted Turkey - 728 calories/serving
Savory Turkey Gravy - 8 calories/serving
Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding - 210 calories/serving

The average American eats around 4,500 calories at the Thanksgiving table (that’s more than twice the daily amount most people should eat). The menu above packs in flavor, but doesn’t pack in the calories. If you make all the dishes above, and eat the suggested serving size, you’ll only being eating 1,410 calories - saving more than 3,000 calories.

Your waistline will thank you!

What do you to do to make your Thanksgiving dinner healthier?

It’s OK if you’ve never done a 5K Run/Walk before. It’s easier than you think. With just a little training you’ll be run-ready by Thanksgiving Day’s Give n’ Gobble!

The 5K is a relatively short race (5K is just 3.125 miles), and for a beginner, consider it more of a jog/walk combo than a run. When you think of it this way, there’s no pressure to “make” a certain time or “come in” a certain place. Just getting out and exercising with your friends and family, while raising money for the Sherwood Helping Hands food bank, makes you a winner!

Here are a few tips to help make your inaugural 5K more fun:
* Choose the right running gear - It’s important to have proper footwear. Head over to a specialty shoe store like Road Runner Sports (one of our generous sponsors) to get fitted for the right shoe for you. You should also consider our lovely Oregon weather when you think about what to wear. Choose clothing that allows you move well, wicks away moisture, and can keep you warm if the weather is chilly.

* Create a training schedule - First, check with your doctor before beginning any kind of training regimen, especially if you have any pre-existing health problems. Start out slow and be sure to stick with the schedule so that you are ready to roll by Thanksgiving Day.

Here are a few sites to help plan a training schedule: The Couch-to-5K ® Running Plan, Top 10 Training Tips for a 5k, 5K Running Training Program

* Go with a buddy - No one said you have to go it alone! It’s so much more fun and motivating to exercise with friends, so recruit your friends and family to join you. Since the Give n’ Gobble is about helping the community, the more people who get involved, the better! Even your kids can join in!

There’s only 20 days to go before Sherwood’s Give n’ Gobble 5K Run/Walk! Get started training today!

We’ve been planning this year’s fun run/food drive since the day after Thanksgiving last year. We just can’t stop thinking about ways to make the Give n’ Gobble better and better each year. You might call us a bit obsessed!

The thing is, we can’t do it without the generous help of volunteers. With more than 1,500 runners and walkers coming the Sherwood from all over the region on Thanksgiving Day, we have lots of important jobs for volunteers to do. This is also a great opportunity for the whole family to get involved! Kids of all ages are welcome to come and help with their parents and learn about the importance of helping others.

Here are some of the volunteer posts we need:
* Day-of Registration
* Course set-up and take-down
* Along the course cheering and direction
* Greeters handing out maps and visors
* T-shirt table
* Food collection station
* Refreshment station
* Community awareness - handing out flyers prior to the event

Click here for a full list of volunteer opportunities.

The Give n’ Gobble Thanksgiving Day Run/walk in Sherwood, Oregon, is a wonderful event that raises money for the Sherwood Helping Hands, a local food bank affiliated with the Oregon Food Bank. Over the last 4 years, this fundraiser has collected more than $50,000 and 25 tons of food for the charity. The event is completely volunteer-driven. That’s why we need YOU to help us make the 2011 race another huge success!

Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, buttery rolls with butter, stuffing, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, chocolate pie, etc. Whoa! That’s alotta food. Did you know that the average American consumes 7,100 calories on Thanksgiving? Yikes.

But there’s a great way to offset that feast - and make a difference in the lives of those in our community…Sherwood’s annual Give n’ Gobble 5K run/walk and 10K run on Thanksgiving!

Starting at 9am on Thanksgiving morning at the Sherwood High School stadium, runners and walkers from all over the region (Sherwood, Newberg, Tigard, Tualatin, Portland, Wilsonville, you name it!) run to raise money for Helping Hands, a local food bank affiliated with the Oregon Food Bank - and burn a few calories before the day’s big dinner!

This single event funds Helping Hands’ annual expenses, enabling them to provide hundreds of needy families with not only canned food and other nonperishable items, but also dairy products, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

We are thrilled that this heart-warming (and heart-pumping) fundraiser has become a Thanksgiving holiday tradition drawing runners and walkers of all ages to do something fun and healthy with their family and neighbors - all while helping those less fortunate! We are looking forward to another amazing year.

Register Today!

The Give n’ Gobble auction on eBay features over 40 items and $10,000 in donated awesome products/services including:  Blazers tickets (club level!) *  autographed Blazers basketball * golf for 4 at The Oregon Golf Club * Spa Packages * holiday  theater tickets * Restoring Order professional organizing  * Quail Ridge shade trees * Sonic Toothbrushes * Graphic Design services  *

Plus gift certificates for designer handbags, personal trainers, massages, professional photography sessions, hotel stays, golf packages and drivers, handbags, restaurants, teeth whitening, computer consulting, toastmasters, health club memberships and much much more!

Click the eBay logo in the sidebar to visit the auction or see all the items here.

Great way to get a head start on your holiday shopping…and help a worthy cause!

Thank you for supporting the Give n’ Gobble!