The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta invites all to help fight hunger in Georgia by participating in the upcoming Hunger Walk/Run 2012 on Sunday, March 11, at the Green Lot at Turner Field. The walk/run goes through downtown Atlanta. All ages and athletic abilities are welcome.

The schedule of events is: 12 p.m. the park opens and event onsite registration begins; 2 p.m. the 5K walk/run begins, and 4 p.m. the park closes.

St. Vincent de Paul is serving as one of the six benefiting partners of this event, which is hosted by the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

As need continues to overwhelm the SVdP food Pantries, the organization encourages all to join together to raise money to fight hunger. According to SVdP, Georgia is experiencing far greater need than other areas of the U.S. and is having a difficult time keeping up with the increasing demand on its food pantries.

The more money collected, the better the community can be served. All money raised will be used for food programs related to the Society’s hunger relief programs and clients, such as purchasing food for the pantry, obtaining grocery certificates for clients, or covering the operational expenses of a food pantry or the Food Recovery and Distribution Program. SVdP’s goal is to raise $40,000.

To participate in the Hunger Walk as a team, select a team coordinator to act as a leader for the group.  Please register online at www.HWR2012.org. Those who were in the system last year can use the same login name and password.

Team coordinators will need to find the appropriate conference, name the team, set a fundraising goal, and invite others to join the team using email.

Each SVdP walker or runner will receive a SVdP team t-shirt. All walkers who raise at least $25 will receive the official Hunger Walk/Run 2012 t-shirt. Runners who pay the $25 registration fee will receive a special HWR 2012 shirt designed just for runners.

Parking is free. All walkers and runners are encouraged to park in the onsite Turner Field Blue Lot to avoid crossing the street. The Blue Lot is located on Capitol Avenue, just above the Green Lot where the event is held.