Congregation Neveh Shalom Men’s Club 5K: Moving Our Feet to Defeat Hunger

On August 9, 2026, the Congregation Neveh Shalom Men’s Club held our 2nd Annual Summer 5K walk/run fundraiser to benefit the Congregation Neveh Shalom Food Pantry. Participants gathered on a perfect August morning at one of the Portland area’s most beautiful nature trails to walk or run a true 5K, while others participated “virtually” at a time and place of their choosing.

This year’s event was enhanced thanks to a generous grant from the Ross Health & Wellness Fund at the FJMC Foundation for Jewish Life. Finishers enjoyed Dave’s Killer Bread Protein Bars, Naked fruit smoothies, and water, and the grant allowed us to add a raffle designed to encourage generosity and continued healthy living.

Participants, volunteers, and spectators received a raffle ticket for each item they donated to the food pantry. We raffled eleven $36 gift cards to Portland Running Co., a terrific local business supporting active lifestyles. To our great surprise and delight, the Mittleman Jewish Community Center also donated two wonderful prizes: ten free one-hour sessions with a personal trainer and a three-month membership.

And what an impact we made!

We raised $3,287 for the Congregation Neveh Shalom Food Pantry. Using the estimate that a food pantry can turn $1 into eight meals, that represents approximately 26,296 meals—enough to provide three meals a day for roughly 313 families of four for an entire week. People also brought 325 food items to donate.

We had 33 people walk or run the 5K together, another 11 participate virtually, and 10 volunteers give their time to make the event possible. Twelve raffle prizes encouraged people to continue pursuing healthy lifestyles and supporting our local community long after race day.

But numbers tell only part of the story. After crossing the finish line, participants and volunteers gathered beneath the shelter and in the sunshine, enjoying healthy snacks, taking pictures with their medals and prizes, and simply spending time together. There was a wonderful sense of community and ruach throughout the morning.