The Messenger/ Ngoc Vo

Troy Nutrition Center is holding its annual SOS 5K run Dec. 6 to begin a holiday season full of joy for our seniors.
The name of the run stands for Support Our Seniors, said Jessica Cox, manager at TNC. The run used to be called Jingle Bell Jog or Troy Nutrition Center 5k, but the organizers decided to stick with SOS and made it a tradition.
“The run is to raise awareness that the center is here for the senior citizens,” Cox said. “This is just a little extra thing we can do for them.”
TNC serves 45 senior citizens a day from all over Pike County and 68 home-bound a day within the City of Troy.
According to Cox, the leftover money raised during the event, after going towards paying for the T-shirts and trophies, will help seniors who sometimes cannot pay for their meals. The fund will also cover some small extra activities for seniors such as going to ball games or on field trips.
“The center has been holding the run for 5 or 6 years,” Cox said. “It  was started by a Troy University student. We benefited from it and we decided to keep it going.”
For the 5K, TNC raises between $300 and $500 on average, which is mostly from sponsors and runners registration fee, Cox said. The run usually attracts 20 to 30 entries and that is the number the center is expecting this year.
“We try to get (the seniors) out and about from the Center as much as possible so that they can stay active,” Cox said. “They help with sign up, set up. They love to come and watch the runners compete. We all appreciate people coming to support us.”
According to Hassie Green, a member at the center, the run will benefit not only the seniors but also the young people who participate.
“It’s a lot of help coming from the 5k fundraising,” Green said. “Senior citizens have a fixed income and sometimes at the end of the month, some seniors just don’t have it.
“I think (the run) is also a wonderful project giving pride to the young folks who run and help us out. In the past we had some one as young as 3 years old run with her father. She won in her age division. The joy on her face when she won was priceless.”
Green encouraged people to participate and to think running in the race as running for one’s own grandparents or great grandparents.
For Doris Kimble, the run is a great boost health-wise for seniors.
“It’s going to help with getting seniors to be active and get energy,” Kimble said. “A lot of time we just stay at home and dry up, so to speak. If we just come and walk, it will help our circulation, joints and muscles.
“It takes everybody doing their part for the run. For me, a lot of time, just coming and handing out bottles of water to runners is a big thing.”
Kimble said the event offers an opportunity for the community to come together for one cause.
The run will start at 8:30 a.m. at Troy Nutrition Center, 498 E. Walnut Street, which will also be the finish line.
Pre-registration is $15, and registration the day of the race is $20. Every pre-registered person will be guaranteed an official 5K Run T-shirt. Deadline for pre-registration is Dec. 1.
Trophies will be awarded to one winner in the male and one in the female overall divisions. First, second and third places in each of the eight age divisions will receive medals.
Every runner will get one entry in to the drawing for door prizes, Cox said. The run is open for all ages including young children and senior citizens who would like to participate by walking or running. Application forms are available on the center website or for pick up at the TNC.