Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries’ annual Kay Hall Hike for Hunger, offering physical or virtual walking participation in 2020, is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 4.
Open to individuals and teams (and leashed dogs on site), the in-person, benefit hike will get underway at 2 p.m. at Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries’ headquarters at 212 D St. in South Charleston and be featured simultaneously on Facebook Live.
“We set it up so people can participate in person, if they’re comfortable doing that walking the map [route] South Charleston like it’s always been done,” Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries Executive Director Vicki Ballengee said.
“The virtual aspect will enable people to be a part of this, too, no matter where they live. For instance, people who have moved out of the area can still participate. On Facebook, people will be able to take pictures and post wherever they are. They might be on their treadmill in their house, but they can still part of it,” Ballengee said.
Registration costs $20 per walker, who are asked to acquire as many as sponsors as they can to support them. The first 1,000 people to register will receive a free T-shirt and virtual packet for the event; to ensure a T-shirt, registrations should be made as soon as possible, Ballengee said.
Registration forms and additional information are posted on the Facebook page (@KayHallHike) or at hhomwv.org. By mail, registrations can be sent to: Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries, 212 D St., South Charleston, WV 25313, attn. Jenny Keener, volunteer and donation coordinator. For email inquiries, email correspondence to volunteers@hhomwv.org.
Top event fundraisers will receive recognition on Facebook Live on Oct. 4, in the following categories: individual; business team; walking team (e.g., churches, groups, nonprofit organizations); family team; and school team.
Online donations must be submitted by 11 a.m. on Oct. 2 to be considered in the Facebook Live recognitions. Mailed donations need to be postmarked and mailed to Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries, 212 D Street, South Charleston, WV 25303, no later than Sept. 28.
During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Charleston-based Heart + Hand Ministries has remained open to serve those in need throughout the community with food, clothing and other sustenance. Kay Hall Hike for Hunger proceeds will permit Heart + Hand to continue meeting their clientele’s needs to the best of its ability and resources. Heart + Hand supports low-income residents of South Charleston, St. Albans, Tornado, Dunbar, Institute, and Alum Creek. Heart + Hand volunteers have provided weekend food bags for South Charleston Middle School students and made food deliveries to area senior residents throughout the pandemic. Putnam County and Riverside High School area residents are beneficiaries of services from Heart + Hand’s remote offices in their respective areas, Winfield United Methodist Church and Chesapeake Town Hall.
Last year’s Kay Hall Hike for Hunger sponsorships enabled Heart + Hand Ministries to help more than 5,000 people with their basic needs for food, clothing, household items, work shoes, diapers, baby needs, rent or utility assistance, and more. The corporate/business sponsorship deadline for this year’s Hike for Hunger was Sept. 1.
For more information about the Kay Hall Hike for Hunger, to make donations or to find out more about Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries’ services, contact Vicki Ballengee at executivedirector@hhomwv.org or 304-342-0029.
The Kay Hall Hike for Hunger has taken place on the streets of South Charleston for more than 25 years. The late Hall was the director of Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries for nearly 40 years.
