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Date: 11/16/2021
NORTHAMPTON – The 18th annual Hot Chocolate Run is returning this year in Northampton on Dec. 5 to raise money once again for Safe Passage, the Hampshire County organization that provides year-round support and resources for domestic violence survivors.
According to Sarah Smith, the director of development for Safe Passage, the rundown for this year’s event is typical to past years, aside from a few changes. Participants in the race will meet at the starting line at the intersection of Hampden Avenue and Old South Street in downtown Northampton. The finish line is also at this location. The 3K walk will begin at 9 a.m., the 5K Fun Run at 9:30 a.m., and the 5K Race will begin at 10:15 a.m.
The event generally sells out at around 6,000 people, according to Smith, but she did add that registration has been slower this year due to people being hesitant about the COVID-19 outlook. The general limit is 6,300 people, and at press time, the event had around 2,700 people registered. “We’re anticipating that we’ll get at least 4,000 runners and walkers,” said Smith.
Because of this, Safe Passage has changed a couple of aspects of the race to accommodate people’s concerns surrounding the pandemic.
Safe Passage is following the city of Northampton’s mask mandate for this year’s event, which means that anyone who cannot maintain 6 feet of distance outside must indeed wear a mask. Additionally, they made it a requirement that anyone signing up for the run who is eligible for the vaccine must be vaccinated to participate.
“It felt important to us to make this event as safe as possible,” said Smith, who added that the usual distribution of hot chocolate at the finish line will be different this year. Instead of handing out a bunch of mugs with hot chocolate in them, Smith said that people will be allowed to take home a packet of hot chocolate mix before they leave to reduce the spread of germs. They do plan on bringing the mugs of hot chocolate back to the event in 2022.
Runners will also have the choice to participate independently in a virtual setting, much like what Safe Passage did last year. For adults, the price to participate is $30, while student and senior prices are $25. Children 12 and under will have to pay $20. Registration fees will increase after Nov. 19 by $5, and registration itself closes on Nov. 28.
The goal this year is to raise $750,000 for Safe Passage services, and as of press time, a little over $220,000 has been raised. According to Smith, the run is important to Safe Passage for several different reasons. The event provides more publicity for Safe Passage, which in turn allows people who may know someone in an abusive relationship the opportunity to refer them to Safe Passage. The Hot Chocolate Run has contributed to Safe Passage’s growing visibility over the course of the past 18 years.
“We found that word-of-mouth is a really critical piece for people who are in abusive relationships,” said Smith. “They need to know that they can trust Safe Passage.”
In recent years, Safe Passage has raised well over a half a million dollars from the Hot Chocolate Run. The reason they can raise so much is because people who sign up for the event automatically receive their own fundraising page that can be shared with other friends and family.
“About 60 percent of the revenue comes in from participants fundraising on their own,” said Smith. “It’s a revenue stream that’s really special and specific to this event.”
The money raised from the run essentially expands what Safe Passage can offer to domestic abuse victims who may need a service specific to their case. Additionally, the money helps to maintain their usual core services like their shelter, counseling and legal programs, services for kids, violence prevention and more.
“Hot Chocolate proceeds do fund every single program at Safe Passage – at least partially” said Smith. “But the big picture is that this income helps us be flexible so that we can be responsive to what a person actually needs.”
People can learn more about the event through the Hot Chocolate Run website, p2p.onecause.com/hcr2021.