What began as the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) recreation department’s dream to help those with little to be thankful for during the holidays has become an all-hands-on-deck effort across campus, and even across Grand Junction.
The Gobble Wobble is an on-campus 5K that has raised canned food and money for CMU’s food bank, The Pantry, every November for the last six years; entry into the race only requires a contribution of five dollars or three canned goods. They earned just under $500 this year, beating their previous records for monetary donations.
“We went from probably a dozen runners in the beginning, and now, every year, it has grown enormously; this year, we had a record number of people–over 160 participants,” Director of Campus Recreation Lynn Nordine said. “We raised more food and more money than we’ve ever raised.”
Nordine attributes this to the generosity of those at CMU, as departments from across campus helped in one way or another: the admissions department lent their golf cart in order to set up the course, the wrestling team loaned their clock, the football team contributed their time as volunteers, and the lacrosse team signed up to be in the race itself.
Though, the success of this 5K is also due to its recent advertisement and focus. Many participants in the race, even avid runners, appreciated how people were encouraged to join in any way possible, so long as they can support the cause.
“I feel like [CMU] does a really good job advertising that you don’t have to run,” Senior in psychology Savanah McGuire said. “So, if you don’t want to run, they have a bunch of different people who walk, and [it’s for] a great cause: the student pantry. You know what you’re putting either your $5 or your can of soup […] into, and it’s for our school.”
The Gobble Wobble has become a cherished tradition on campus. And, though McGuire says the experience of racing with her friends was one of her favorite parts, the overall consensus seems to be that the race itself is not why Mavs attend the event.
“We don’t even give out amazing awards. I print out really cool certificates and give everybody a coupon for a free smoothie that wins the top three. But we don’t do big trophies because I don’t want to take the money from the event and go buy something […] and people like that,” Nordine said. “Nobody really complains about that. This is like the feel-good 5K; this isn’t about you necessarily, it’s [about] coming out and saying ‘I recognize this, and I want everybody to have a good holiday.’”
Many Mavs will leave Grand Junction this Thanksgiving to eat a feast with friends and families, and will likely forget about the chilly 5K they ran on Nov. 10. However, students struggling with food insecurity will likely remember how thankful they are for the bounty of food in The Pantry provided by their fellow Mavericks.
“The original thinking was that most of us are fortunate to get to spend the holidays with family around a lot of food, but that’s not the case for everybody,” Nordine said. “Most people are complaining about eating too much at Christmas break and having to join the gym […] but there are people whose bellies aren’t full. We want everyone to have a full belly during the holiday.”
