NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—A community in need deserves a friend indeed.

One of the most recognizable friends to those in need here in the Hub City is Elijah’s Promise, which has been catering to economically vulnerable city residents since its founding in 1989.

On November 2, Elijah’s Promise will be hosting its sixth annual “Turkey Trot” walk, to raise the funding necessary to support the local community soup kitchen and its programs.

Walkers are encouraged to pre-register and can make donations online.  Donations are also collected at the time of registration.

Teams can register to participate, and Rutgers students are welcome to join the fun.  Registration begins at 1 pm in Buccleuch Park, and the event will start at 2pm, with the walk usually taking about a half-hour.

Elijah’s Promise will be showcasing its own culinary arts training program during the Trot, which will include various tasting stations along the route, with treats prepared by the Promise Culinary School.

There will also be pre-walk arts and crafts activities for the kids, an appearance by the “Reading Fairy” and live music performed by the CTP Band.

Among its many community-oriented services to New Brunswick, Elijah’s Promise provides meals to the homeless and low-income residents seven days a week, as well as guiding them to other social and health services and community resources within the city.

Elijah’s Promise, located at 18 Neilsen Street, also oversees out-of-town projects such as the Better World Cafe, which just celebrated five years in Highland Park, and the Better World Market, which recently opened in Somerset.

With the support of its volunteers, donors and community partners, Elijah’s Promise serves more than 100,000 meals per year at its community kitchen and trains 50 to 60 individuals per year, many of whom previously were unskilled, or low-income, for careers in the food service industry.

“Hunger is a year-round problem for many people, but it is often exacerbated in the winter, when we see many more faces at the soup kitchen,” said Jim Zullo, executive director of Elijah’s Promise.

“The Turkey Trot is an important component of our fundraising for the this program, enabling us to provide healthful meals to those in need.”

More information about the Turkey Trot and other community events are available at the Elijah’s Promise website or by calling 732-545-9002, ext. 126.