Getting out for a little exercise can be a gratifying way to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday, especially when it benefits a good cause. For the second year on Thanksgiving Day, volunteers will be organizing an informal trail run at Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust’s Salt Bay Farm in Damariscotta to benefit Twin Villages Foodbank Farm (TVFF). TVFF serves pantries in Newcastle, Jefferson, Boothbay Harbor, Wiscasset, Waldoboro, Whitefield, and New Harbor, and youth food programs including FARMS at the Y, the YMCA daycare, Newcastle Head Start, and weekend backpack programs at the Boothbay Region schools, Bristol Consolidated School, and Wiscasset Elementary School.

The 5K trail run and 1-mile walk/fun run will begin at 9 a.m. Nov. 28 and is open to runners and walkers of all ages. Registration starts at 8:15 a.m. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are also welcome.

The 5K course is on broad mown trails with gentle hills, making two loops around the fields at Coastal Rivers’ scenic Salt Bay Farm.

There is no fee to participate, though monetary donations to TVFF are encouraged. Preregistration is a great help to the volunteer organizers and may be done online through Coastal Rivers’ website at coastalrivers.org/events

Participants may also sign up the day of the race. There will be modest prizes for the top male and female finishers as well as the top male and female finishers in each of three age groups.

TVFF’s mission is to grow and distribute healthy food for those who need it most in Lincoln County. To learn more about the farm or to make a secure online donation, visit twinvillagesfarm.org

The Farm operates in close partnership with Coastal Rivers. Coastal Rivers donates use of its prime farmland at Salt Bay Farm and provides administrative, fundraising and communications support.

Formed by the coming together of Damariscotta River Association and Pemaquid Watershed Association, Coastal Rivers is a non-profit, membership supported, and nationally accredited land trust and conservation organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the natural, cultural, and historical heritage of the greater Pemaquid peninsula and Damariscotta River region.

Coastal Rivers has active programs in the areas of land conservation, stewardship, community education, water quality monitoring, marine conservation and cultural preservation. 

Visitors are welcome at Coastal Rivers’ many properties throughout the region. For more information about Coastal Rivers, call (207) 563-1393, email info@coastalrivers.org, or visit coastalrivers.org