Stockton runners will lace up before turkey dinner this Thanksgiving morning, November 26, as the Emergency Food Bank Stockton/San Joaquin hosts its 22nd Annual Run and Walk Against Hunger at Stockton Ballpark. The event features a Kids Fun Run, a 5K Run & Walk, and a 10K Run, drawing families, walkers, runners, friends, and co-workers out for a holiday-morning tradition that doubles as the food bank's largest one-day fundraiser.
According to RunSignup, this year's race is presented by the Aaron Judge ALL RISE Foundation. The event listing urges participants to “mark your calendars for Thursday, November 26, 2026,” and join the 22nd annual gathering. A flyer shared in a recent Facebook post lays out the morning's schedule: the Kids Fun Run kicks off at 8 a.m., followed by the 5K and 10K together at 8:30 a.m., all staged at Stockton Ballpark.
The same flyer notes the race supports Emergency Food Bank Nutrition Programs, with more information available at RunAgainstHunger.org. Registration prices rise after 11:59 p.m. on November 25, and sign-ups close at 9 a.m. on race day itself, per the RunSignup listing. Visit Stockton describes the Run & Walk Against Hunger as the Emergency Food Bank's largest one-day fundraiser, and the organization's event listing says nearly 3,000 people took part last year, with organizers hoping to draw even more in 2026.
A Food Bank Under Growing Pressure
The race arrives as the Emergency Food Bank grapples with supply shortages that have squeezed its shelves for months. Stocktonia reported the organization was down 500 cases of nonperishable food every week because of USDA cuts, a gap that has forced staff to stretch already-thin resources further. CBS Sacramento reported that over a three-to-four-month stretch, the food bank said it had lost roughly 12 pallets — about 30,000 pounds — of food weekly.
Demand for that food has not slowed. More than 276,000 people visited the Emergency Food Bank's pantry in 2024, the same Stocktonia report noted, while CBS Sacramento cited food bank officials pointing to county figures from that year showing more than 10% of San Joaquin County residents, or 83,690 people, were food insecure. A separate Stocktonia report quoted the organization's president and CEO saying the food bank served 255,000 families last year.
A Growing Thanksgiving Tradition
Last year's race, the 21st annual, was held on Thursday, November 27, 2025, according to Fleet Feet Stockton, which listed a separate 5:45-to-6:45 p.m. slot at its Lincoln Center store for the Delta Breeze Run Club Tuesday Night Run.
Images shared from past races capture the event's community spirit, including participants posed alongside a mascot and a runner in a hot dog costume, with Chase Chevrolet branding and Stockton, California visible in the frame. Race bibs numbered in the thousands hint at the scale organizers are hoping to match again this Thanksgiving, as runners and walkers gather at Stockton Ballpark to support a food bank working to keep pace with rising need across San Joaquin County.
