This year, Thanksgiving will be a day of celebration for many families that want for food. That’s because the fifth annual Gobble Wobble was held Sunday, Nov. 4 at 3 p.m.
Gobble Wobble is a community event started to help feed families in need for Thanksgiving. It was a 5k run-walk race inviting any and everyone from the community to participate.
Students and anyone wanting to participate were asked to pre -register and pay the entry fees, which varied and included food, drink, t-shirt, running number and groceries for needy families.
The food was sponsored by America’s Second Harvest Food Bank.The organization also won Most Involved Organization Award.
First year volunteer, Janeese Duarte is excited.
“I think gobble wobble is a great program. So many families are in need and don’t get to have the traditional Thanksgiving,” Duarte said. “One of the problems though, is that as an organization, we won’t be able to take care of everyone, but people who are definitely in need are taken care of.”
The Gobble Wobble started out as a school project for a public relations class for Quentin Cox, now an alumnus from Tampa.
He went to Paul Chance, another current graduate, from Miami for help, who at the time was a promotions director for WANM 90.5 FM.
Together, they formed a promotional project to be sponsored by 90.5. The two sat down and discussed their ideas and came up with giving back to needy families.
It was to be titled Gobble Wobble with 90.5 but the director didn’t think the event was going to be a success. So the two ended up doing the project on their own.
“We basically killed two birds with one stone,” Chance said.
“Putting together the event was the hardest part, and the gratification part was giving back. I think it’s a worthy thing to do. It involves a lot of intensity, hard work, but it’s very rewarding at the end when you’re going from house to house giving back to the families,”
He was so motivated by this event, that he kept it up for four years straight, even after he had graduated. But the time came when he eventually had to leave Tallahassee.
As a result, he passed the torch to Keisha Pickett, a 21-year-old senior, public relations major from Hawkinville, Ga. and current director and coordinator.
“Last year I saw the flier, advertising for the position of deputy assistant. So I went, because I wanted to be involved with something,” said Pickett. “Now, I’m director, I’ve had to step up to the plate and get things done. It’s been hectic but I’ll be fine.”
“As I always say, I’m a struggling college student, but I can raise $2000, and although it’s not benefiting me,” Pickett said. ” I feel so blessed to help somebody else. It’s a great event and I’ve devoted a great deal of time to it, but I’m not suffering. I’m glad to be helping in any way.”