It’s already been a bustling week for the Pumpkin Run team as they prepared for this year’s milestone 10th-anniversary run. Young people in Inverell and Armidale have already been hard at work, preparing meals to donate to the Inverell Women’s and Children’s Refuge and the Inverell Food of the Soul community kitchen, which serves free meals to the Inverell community each week—all before the Pumpkin Run has even begun!

Today, the team was up early again, peeling, chopping, and cutting pumpkins to make more meals for donation. The meals prepared today were for the Armidale Neighbourhood Centre, the Uralla Neighbourhood Centre, and the Armidale Seventh Day Adventist Church.

The official send-off for the Pumpkin Run took place at Tilbuster Station, with numerous special guests attending to wish our young people well on their journey down the coast. Notable attendees included Armidale Council Mayor Sam Coupland, Todd Redwood, members of the Armidale Lions Club, and the local police.

CEO Alan Brennan expressed his gratitude, saying, “We are very grateful to the staff involved this year and the young people in Pathfinders Out of Home Care service, the Armidale Youth Refuge, and our other youth services who have been involved and helped this year. We deeply appreciate the community support we receive each year for the Pumpkin Run.”

After the send-off, the team departed from Tilbuster Station, heading to Coffs Harbour. Tomorrow, they will assist in cooking and serving meals at the Uniting Church Soup Place in Coffs Harbour. Pumpkins will also be delivered to the Coffs Harbour Warrina Women’s and Children’s Refuge and Pete’s Place to help cover additional meals for those in need.

Following Coffs Harbour, the team will continue their journey down the coast, stopping in Taree and Newcastle, before concluding their run at Government House in Sydney next week.