Keep Fit: FEED, We Run This Town
On August 9, I attended the Women’s Health 3rd Annual Hamptons Party Under the Stars at the Bridgehampton Tennis & Surf Club. The star-studded evening hit the high points of a Hamptons gala, raising awareness for worldwide hunger, a critical issue for the fact that it can be solved. The event was a celebration of Run 10 Feed 10, a national 10K series created in 2012 by Women’s Health and the FEED Foundation that works to eradicate domestic hunger.
At the party’s entrance, the step and repeat banner revealed that one in five children in the U.S. is wondering where they will get their next meal. The Run 10 Feed 10 website emphasizes that 49 million Americans are going hungry.
“Domestic hunger is an epiphany for a lot of people,” noted women’s health editor-in-chief Michele Promaulayko.
FEED was founded by Lauren Bush (now Lauren Bush Lauren) in 2007 after she travelled abroad as a UN World Food Programme Honorary Student spokesperson. “I saw firsthand the effects of poverty and hunger,” says Lauren of her international trips.
FEED combines Lauren’s mission to eliminate world hunger with her love of fashion. Proceeds from her line of FEED products go toward giving meals domestically and internationally, particularly to schoolchildren. Lauren first created the FEED 1 bag, with the “1” indicating that the bag provides meals to a child in school for one year. The line has since expanded to other bag styles, accessories and jewelry, all maintaining the look, feel and inspiration as the initial FEED 1 bag.
A selection of items was for sale on Saturday night, and I purchased a burlap passport holder with a Carolina blue binding. The “10” stamped on the front indicated that I would be providing 10 school meals to children in need.
Passport holder in hand, my desire to beeline to JFK Airport and take the next flight abroad was temporarily put on hold that night as I took in the event. Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, who are expecting their third child together, were enjoying each other’s conversations at one of the couches set up indoors. Other celebs at the event included guest DJ Taryn Manning of Orange is the New Black; Ginger Zee, the Chief Meteorologist on Good Morning America; Star Jones, Rosario Dawson and Kelly Rutherford. Manning DJ’d toward the end of the night, after the live reggae band left the back porch and as guests mingled from the comforts of the club down to the beach for a bonfire and s’mores.
Clearly, Women’s Health knows how to throw a party, and publisher Laura Frerer-Schmidt noted that the location was the perfect site for a fundraiser, as Run 10 Feed 10’s first race of 2014 is September 21 in New York City. The race series specifically targets hunger in the community where the 10K is run, with each entry providing 10 meals for those in need.
Formal 10Ks are organized in 11 cities, with New York, Chicago and San Francisco hosting the flagship races. Attending Saturday’s event has inspired me to head into New York next month. But those who can’t make it in are able to participate through the “Run My Own 10K” option. Simply create a 10K route through walkjogrun.net and run it any time between now and November 10. Registration will still feed 10 Americans in need, and all participants will receive a limited-edition FEED bag.
Maybe I’ll do both. Come on Hamptons, let’s run this town.
For more info and to register for a race, visit run10feed10.com.