The second annual Elverson Community 5K and 1-mile fun run, which will benefit Anchored Ministries, will take place on Saturday, June 25, to kick off the annual Elverson Day celebration. The 5K and 1-mile events will both start and end at Livingood Park, 116 S. Chestnut St., Elverson.

Check-in and registration will begin at 8 a.m. The 5K will start at 9 a.m., followed by the 1-mile fun run at 9:45 a.m.

"The 5K will go down Route 401 through Summerfield. It will come back up Route 23 and into the park," explained Erika Kanter, chief executive officer of Anchored Ministries. Twin Valley Fire Company and the Caernarvon Police Department will monitor the race course.

The 1-mile course will take runners through Livingood Park, along routes 82 and 23 down to Elverson Supply and then back up Route 23. It will end at the car wash located in the park. "(The fun run is) for anyone. Maybe they can't do the full 5K," said Kanter. "We do get a lot of moms pushing strollers and kids who can't do the full run. It's just to enjoy."

Awards will be presented to the overall male and overall female winners of the 5K, as well as the top two female and top two male winners in various age groups. The awards presentation will take place at 10 a.m.

A registration fee will be charged per person. Children age 5 and under may participate for free. For more information or to register, visit http://www.AnchoredMinistries.org/5k or http://www.givebutter.com/Anchored5K.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Anchored Ministries and its many charitable programs. "All money raised will be poured right back into serving our community as we provide basic necessities in the areas of clothing, food and nutrition," said Kanter, noting that 93 people took part in the first-time event in 2021.

Anchored Ministries owns and operates a mobile clothing closet housed inside a trailer, which has been converted to hold clothing on racks for newborns through adults, along with shoes, toiletries and blankets.

The mobile clothing closet stops at various locations, including CrossNet Ministries in New Holland, the Honey Brook Food Pantry and Conestoga Mennonite Church, where the ministry offers a free monthly grab-and-go community meal served takeout style in the church parking lot on the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m.

Other efforts by Anchored Ministries include a back-to-school event, where children receive new backpacks and school supplies; a one-day Prom Boutique held at Twin Valley High School, where students are able to choose whatever items they may need to attend the prom, including prom dresses, suits and accessories; a winter coat giveaway; a Christmas gift-giving program; and Wawa Thursdays, when free Wawa breakfast sandwiches are available at the Anchored Ministries headquarters, 40 S. Chestnut St., Elverson. The charity also offers an emergency food pantry.

For more information about Anchored Ministries, visit http://www.facebook.com/AnchoredMinistriesPA or http://www.anchoredministries.org.