The Mantua VFW hosted the fifth annual Running with Vets 5K on Oct. 1, attracting about 100 runners.
The route went from the township municipal building to Chestnut Branch Park and back. It began during the early-morning hours and runners got to see some of the park’s major landmarks, including the 9/11 memorial and the butterfly garden.
After the race was over, people were fed at the VFW hall across the street from the municipal building, where they could chat with runners and veterans alike.
“We had a beautiful day for it,” said Mantua VFW Chairman Joe Heitman. “Last year, we practically ran in a hurricane, but the weather was much nicer this year. People came from the (Mantua) VFW and we had an honor guard from the American Legion Post in Wenonah come by.”
The run was held in partnership with the New Jersey chapter of Run for the Fallen, a veterans organization that hosts a 225-plus-mile, four-day run through the state, with stops at one-mile intervals to honor New Jersey veterans who died during the War on Terror.
Funds raised from the 5K were split between the VFW and the vet group. While the amount raised for the former has yet to be determined, about $2,000 was raised for Run for the Fallen, according to Heitman.
Several local businesses and organizations also sponsored the event, including Nancy Kowalik Real Estate Group, Lin-Mark Sports Inc., Delcrest Sings, William Stokes Bonsal Post 133, Grasso Girls Farm Market, M&M Electrical LLC, Barnsboro Inn, Hoffman’s Exterminating Co. Inc., Shed Shacks, Bogey’s, Proof Productions Inc. and Acks S Cash.
“The money goes towards helping other people,” Heitman explained. “We sometimes use it on our building, but most of the time we use it towards helping others at nearby VFWs and American Legion posts, not just in Mantua.”
The VFW partners for the run each year with a different veterans organization; last year it was Veteran’s Haven South, a state-operated facility designed to aid homeless veterans.
“We’re trying to create an atmosphere to get people to come back,” said Heitman. “Not necessarily to the VFW, but for the run itself. That way, we can get people to come back next year.”
