500 participate in frosty Turkey Trot

Carson Valley was the winner as around 500 Turkey Trotters took off across the starting gate on Thanksgiving morning.

The trot benefits the Carson Valley Community Food Closet and Douglas Animal Welfare Group, which brought out dogs for the run.

Runners made their way around Minden as around 35 of them more than 40 volunteers held signs guiding trotters around the course.

While the Turkey Trot is a fun run, the web site listed Carly Strauss and Erin Platte as first and second with a time of 29 minutes.

The sign-in booth was busy as people lined up to sign up at the last minute and collect their swag bags.

“It wouldn’t be a Turkey Trot if there wasn’t a swag snafu,” Food Closet Director Sarah Sanchez said as she was helping fetch shirts for participants.

Referring to it as the Food Closet’s fourth quarter madness, Sanchez said the next few weeks will be critical to the Food Closet’s fundraising and stocking efforts.

“It makes a big impact on our budgets, we absolutely depend on it,” she said. “Anything we’re doing during the holiday season is aimed to get us through the entire year.”

Sanchez said the Food Closet served 450 households for Thanksgiving and expects a similar number for Christmas.

“All this food we’re collecting and all the funds we’re collecting will make sure we can care for all those people,” Sanchez said. “As soon as we’re done here, I’ve got one day to wrap it up and then we’re in food drive mode.”

The Channel 2 Share Your Holiday Food Drive is Dec. 9 at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden.

Douglas Animal Welfare Group President Lori Paxson said the fundraiser made a difference in that group’s operation.

“It’s a great outreach for us in the community and helps us with our programs,” Paxson said. “It’s very important to us.”