UMass Amherst hosts 14th annual 5K Dash and Dine
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – The 14th annual 5K Dash and Dine is back at UMass Amherst, and the rain didn't stop participants from finishing the race to end hunger.
Right beside Southwest Horseshoe, 933 first-time and returning runners and walkers came prepared for the Dash and Dine on Saturday, and hundreds more signed up upon arrival. It's a race around UMass Amherst hosted by UMass Dining Services to promote health and wellness while raising funds for the Amherst Survival Center (ASC).
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For these reasons, a member of our 22News Storm Team decided to take part this year as Master of Ceremonies of the event.
'I'm an unapologetically huge fan of UMass Dining, and also I'm a big fan of the Amherst Survival Center, which does some amazing work helping out people in Amherst and surrounding towns,' said 22News Storm Team Meteorologist Brian Lapis.
The ASC helps connect residents to free hot meals, groceries, walk-in medical clinics, community programming, and resources for those experiencing homelessness or just seeking additional help.
Over the last 13 years, UMass Dining has raised over $60,000 for the ASC. And in the last year, donors, runners, and walkers of the 5K Dash and Dine helped ASC provide 1.6 million meals to more than 11,000 people. But that's not all, because the need is rising.
'The newest program that we are implementing is that we will be opening a new food pantry, a campus pantry, right here on the UMass campus in Fall of 2025,' said Lev BenEzra, Executive Director of the Amherst Survival Center.
This is an award that all participants will look forward to. With the first person completing the race in 16 minutes near Berkshire Dining Commons there was one more prize awaiting runners after the finish line.
'The most important thing afterwards is the number one dining program in the United States for eight years running,' said Garett Distefano, Director of Dining Services for UMass Dining. 'You're gonna have one heck of a lunch.'
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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