Today I want to tell you about a race which, as far as I can tell, is like no other.
It’s the annual Wegmans East Avenue Grocery Run, organized by Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester. It’s scheduled this year for Saturday, Nov. 7. Since I’m somewhat connected with the Rochester running community, I’ve often heard about this race, but have never run it. But the more I hear about it, the better I like it. (Especially the part about how your entire entry fee is donated to a local food cupboard like Webster Community Chest and Webster NY HOPE — but more about that soon.)
For starters, the race is run in downtown Rochester, so it’s a flat and easy course. There are several distance options, making it easy for anyone to take part: a 5K, 10K, a 1K, a free “Boogie for Broccoli” dash and a virtual option. People wear costumes. Walkers are more than welcome. AND the registration fee is reasonable. But, as I said, the best part about this race is that your entire entrance fee can be donated to your favorite food pantry.
Here’s how that works:
When you sign up for the race, as part of the sign-up process, you’ll be asked if you want to join a team. When you’re ready to choose that team, scroll down the options until you find the food pantry you would like your registration fee to benefit. It’s that easy. Your entire registration fee will be donated to that organization.
Both the Webster Community Chest and Webster NY Hope have created teams. So if you live in Webster and will be running in this race, please consider signing up for one of these two teams. And if you’re one of those “I’m-not-a-runner” people who would never consider participating in a race, please consider this one. There are always a LOT of walkers, and did I mention you can wear a costume? Plus, this race is famous for its huge post-race food spread.
By the way, you can increase your impact by bringing some non-perishable foods to donate!
A little history
What I also didn’t know about the Grocery Run is that Webster resident Ellen Rye is one of the organizers. Ellen is part of a dedicated group of volunteers who, year after year, pull together the hundreds of details required to put on an event of this size.
I sat down with Ellen a little while ago to find out more about this amazing race and how it got started.
Third Presbyterian Church, located on Meigs St. in Rochester, for years has hosted a food cupboard and provided a hot lunch every Sunday to serve their local community. Back in 2010, they began to notice that the number of people visiting the pantry and attending the lunches was increasing. At the same time, grocery prices were on the rise.
So Ellen and several other “church moms” put their heads together to see how they could raise some money for the food pantry. “Somebody came up with the idea of organizing a 5K,” Ellen remembered, “which none of us knew how to do.”
It was a daunting challenge. Their first step was to solicit some sponsors. Wegmans was one of the first to sign on, which gave them a little encouragement. After that, things started to really come together, and when they were finally ready to put out the call for runners, they hoped they might attract 100 or so participants.
They got 800 that first year.
The race continued to grow, and before long (thanks in large part to the corporate sponsors), the race was raising more money than Third Church needed for their own food pantry. “So we said, let’s spread the wealth,” Ellen said.
“Let’s share; so many food pantries are really working on shoestring budgets,” she continued. “They never have enough money or people. So we realized, we have this infrastructure for putting together a great fun community event that attracts a lot of people. And why don’t we provide that infrastructure to other food pantries? That way they don’t have to organize their own race.”
And for the last 16 years, that’s exactly what Third Presbyterian Church has done. Since 2010 the Wegmans East Avenue Grocery Run has raised more than $760,000 for local food pantries. (Even if a runner doesn’t sign up for a specific team, all other fees and donations are distributed evenly among all the teams.) Corporate sponsors cover the cost of the event, so that 100% of race registration fees and donations go directly to food pantries. Last year alone, $110,000 was distributed to 41 organizations that provide food, hope and dignity for our neighbors in need.
The event is organized entirely by volunteers, a core group of about 20 people work year-round seeking corporate sponsors, planning logistics, supporting food pantry participation and sweating over details to make the Grocery Run a safe, fun and profitable community fitness event. During race week, more than 100 more volunteers help with packet pickup/registration, site and course set up, race marshals, hospitality and more.
And remember how that first race in 2010 attracted 800 runners? Last year, there were 1859 registered participants (10K, 5K, 1K and kids’ fun run).
Won’t you join us this year? Remember to sign up for your favorite food cupboard team. Both Webster Community Chest and Webster HOPE have teams!
The 2026 Wegmans East Avenue Grocery Run will be held Saturday, Nov. 7 at 8:30 a.m. Prices vary depending on the distance you’re running, but they will go up after Sept. 30. You can find more details including route maps on the website.
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(posted 9/24/2026)
