For some, it's tradition. For others, a way to get active before the evening's feast. But to all participants taking part in Father Joe's Villages annual Thanksgiving Day 5K, Deacon Jim Vargas is grateful.
"Over 7,000 people are here," Vargas told NBC 7 as runners sped past him. "They weren’t frightened away by the weather or the threats of the rain, so it’s very important."
Participants were lined up early for the start of the 17th annual trot through Balboa Park on Thanksgiving morning, which raises funds for Father Joe's Villages' effort to provide services to homeless San Diegans.
"We're there 365 days a year -- breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every single night we’re able to provide housing for over 2,000 people, so this helps tremendously today," Vargas said.
Event organizers projected the 5K run and walk would raise a half-million dollars, which would go towards providing thousands a place to sleep and about 1 million meals, according to Father Joe's Villages.
Mariana Aguilar has participated in Father Joe's 5K with her sister for four years and while she looks at it as a way to get active before indulging on Thanksgiving dinner, she also believes in the cause it supports.
"I had the pleasure to meet Father Joe before and I believe in a lot of the things that he does," Aguilar said. "I think that this is a great idea to support the community and also to get everybody out here and have some sense of comradery and community on this special day."
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Aguilar, like many others on Thanksgiving, is counting her blessings, like being able to gather with family and friends.
"There’s a lot of things going on like the fires… This year, I think we’ll just go back to basics and be thankful for having everything that we need."
And while she was giving thanks to the little things in her life, Vargas was giving thanks to her and all the others that joined the annual charity run this Thanksgiving.
"We’re all challenged in one way or another but we are blessed and this is a great way to show how grateful we are by giving back,” Vargas said.
Vargas said Father Joe's Villages is in need of volunteers throughout the year. Anyone who wants to make monetary donations or find other ways to help can visit here.
