Thanksgiving morning, you can help feed families. All you have to do is trot.

The sixth Annual Turkey Trot, a 5k fun run or walk, will take place Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 22.

The run starts at 9 a.m. at 32nd Ave NW and NW 85th St, in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of Ballard, and will end at Golden Gardens Park.

Early registration, by Nov. 13, is $25. All proceeds will go to the Ballard Food Bank.

Last year, over 2,000 people participated and over $38,000 was donated to the Ballard Food Bank, according to organizers. This year, 3,000 participants are expected.

“The Ballard Food Bank is grateful to have the support and participation of many Ballard residents for this year’s Turkey Trot,” said Rebecca Butler, Ballard resident and Ballard Food Bank Board Chair, in a press release.

Where did the Turkey Trot come from, anyway?

According to the press release sent out by organizers, it was started six years ago by the Ballard Trio Erin Fortier, Matt Ramme and John O'Brien.

For Fortier, there was a personal connection to the idea of a Thanksgiving morning run.

“In my family it was a tradition to go for a run on Thanksgiving morning,” Fortier said. “It was a way to spend time with family on the holidays and feel better about all the food we’d be eating for the rest of the day.”

But it wasn't until the trio ran a Turkey Trot in Portland that they realized they could make one happen in Seattle, which had no such event. Though they had very little to no organizing experience, they set about to do just that, mapping out a route, handing out flyers and t-shirts and gathering support. Their first run had 50 people, a modest start to what has become a much larger event.

Why Ballard Food Bank?

“During Thanksgiving, people spend a lot of time thinking about food. We want to raise money for those in our community who are helping the hungry,” said Ramme, one of the event’s organizers. “We chose the Ballard Food Bank because it is a local Ballard non-profit and people can connect the run with a nearby organization.”

For more informationa bout the Seattle Turkey Trot, visit www.seattleturkeytrot.org/