WAMDA Touts Success of Run/Walk

NORTHAMPTON — Pets and their owners alike enjoyed a little exercise recently at the 14th annual run/walk and health fair sponsored by the Western Area Massachusetts Dietetic Association (WAMDA) at Look Park in Northampton.

While the event promoted health and fitness, 240 pounds of food and much of the money raised from the event were donated to local food pantries, raising awareness about food insecurity in Massachusetts. Approximately 250 runners and walkers attended the event, including state Rep. Ellen Story, D-Northampton. Nutrition professionals, community members, and local business people staffed the fair.

Because food insecurity, or not having enough food from day to day, means that good nutrition is not always a choice if food is scarce, the event recognizes the importance of supporting the food pantries in local communities. Protecting health in this way, WAMDA officials say, means helping people have access to enough and the proper balance of foods.