A group of students devoted to community service throughout the SLS community (Student Service Board) met in late March and realized that in the midst of our physical distancing a unifying effort would be important. Within minutes, the idea of a Virtual 5K took hold and the group ran with it. It was natural to coordinate with the Athletic Department to get the support of all the athletic teams. And with that, the Virtual 5K to Outrun Hunger was launched.

St. Luke’s School has had an active partnership with Filling in the Blanks since they were founded in 2013. Their work providing weekend meals for students supported by free and reduced lunches in schools has become especially important as schools closed. The co-founders of Filling in the Blanks, Tina Kramer and Shawnee Knight were quick to jump on board and support the effort.
Within a week, we had the full support of our spring sports teams with all of the Varsity captains and coaches getting their team members involved. The MS Type One Diabetes Club volunteered to promote it within the Middle School—emphasizing the importance of good nutrition—and middle school students started signing up. Families, friends, clubs…the list of participants swelled quickly. The community was coming together in support of a great cause. The modest registration fee ($20) was more than matched by generous donations, and by the time the event came around, there were 368 participants signed up, plus $10,473 donated, bringing the grand total to $17,833!

Participants gathered via Zoom during afternoon spring sports time so that we could celebrate the work that we were doing. (Video attached) Tina Kramer said, “we are so grateful and overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of the St. Luke’s community.” Co-founder Shawnee added, “St. Lukes students and families show up! This virtual event far exceeded expectations and is a real testament to the values the school is instilling in their students.”