San Fernando Valley’s Thanksgiving Day Drumstick Dash raises money to feed the homeless

“Move your feet so others can eat.”

That’s the slogan for Hope the Mission’s ninth annual Drumstick Dash to raise money to feed the homeless.

Nearly 10,000 people – about 7,500 runners and 2,000 cheering onlookers – gathered in North Hollywood on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28, for 5K and 10K runs through the NoHo Arts District. Organizers billed the annual fundraiser as the largest Thanksgiving 5K/10K run in Los Angeles County.

Related: Armies of Thanksgiving volunteers are feeding the needy across LA County

The event, which organizers pulled off with the assistance of over 200 volunteers, also included a “Lil’ Gobblers race,” a costume contest, prizes and free giveaways, and a live DJ.

Money raised from the event pays for meals dished up by Hope the Mission, which provides shelter, meals and other services to people experiencing homelessness. The San Fernando Valley-based nonprofit provides over 2.8 million hot meals annually, according to its website.

“It’s a real priority for us that those meals are predominantly from scratch,” said Rowan Vansleve, president of Hope the Mission. “You want something cooked with love and intention. For many of the folks living in our shelters, they’ve been through trauma. We want to provide them with high-quality food.”

The concept behind the Thanksgiving Day run is that on a day known for stuffing one’s face, you can also “move your feet so others can eat.”

More than 75,000 people in L.A. County are homeless, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s 2024 homeless count – a number that was virtually unchanged from the year prior.

Vansleve said the need to help those experiencing homelessness remains great.

Seeing nearly 10,000 people come out on Thanksgiving Day to support a good cause is inspiring and demonstrates what Angelenos can achieve when communities come together, Vansleve said.

“I’m very proud to be a part of Los Angeles,” he said. “It reminds me that Los Angeles is bigger and better than any homeless crisis.”

Scores of other distance runs took to the streets all over the county — and the nation — most with various punny names: Gobble Wobbles, Drumstick Dashes and Huffing for Stuffings. While most races were held on Thanksgiving Day, some take place this weekend.

In Pasadena, proceeds the annual Turkey Trot went directly to the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, which aims to preserve and protect the stadium’s future.

Each participant also had an opportunity to donate to the Pasadena Unified School District, to support their athletic programs.

Turkey Trot Los Angeles in downtown L.A. raised money for The Midnight Mission’s programs finding ways to self-sufficiency for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The event consists of a mile-long Dog Jog at 7:30 a.m., a 5K starting in waves at 8 and 8:15 a.m., the 10K at 9 a.m. and a quarter-mile “Widdle Wobble” for “kids of all ages”‘ at 10:15 a.m.

There was a new course for the 10K, which began at City Hall, looped up and around Bunker Hill, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, into Filipino Town, then onto Spring Street. Runners will do a U-turn at Ninth Street and then return to City Hall for the finish.

The 44th annual Harry Sutter Memorial Turkey Trot 3-mile fun run began in the Sam’s Club parking lot at the Torrance Crossroads Center. The run was conducted by the Torrance Community Services Department which invited runners and spectators to bring a can of food for a special Thanksgiving Food Drive. The canned foods will be distributed to people in need throughout the South Bay.

Hundreds of early risers ran in the 22nd annual Long Beach Turkey Trot. The enthusiastic runners donned their best Thanksgiving ensembles, from dressing as turkeys to portraying their favorite holiday pies — for the popular event, which is organized by Justin Rudd’s Community Action Team.

The Turkey Trot helps raise funds for the CAT, which puts on more than 40 annual events, including monthly beach clean-ups, the Belmont Shore Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest and the Interfaith Blessing of the Animals.

The event, though, also served as a food drive for the AIDS Food Store in Long Beach — with Turkey Trot participants encouraged to bring canned foods and other non-perishables for donation before they embarked on their run.

Other runs Thursday included the 31st annual Thanksgiving Day Run & Food Drive in La Cañada Flintridge, the 10th annual Pacific Palisades Turkey Trot, the 16th annual College of the Canyons Turkey Trot in Valencia and the Thanksgiving 5K, 10K, 15K and Half Marathon on a beach path in Santa Monica.

The fourth annual Skatesgiving 10K skate race and food drive for skateboarders, roller skaters and inline skaters rolled out at Barnard Way Linear Park in Santa Monica.

Kristy Hutchings, Ryan Carter and City News Service contributed to this report