The 40th annual Red Shoe 5k hosted by Ronald McDonald House Charities

Iowa City, Iowa – On Sunday, thousands of people flocked to Lower City Park for the 40th Ronald McDonald House Red Shoe 5k.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois benefit from the money raised by the 5k. Individuals had the option to run, walk, or push strollers; some even took part in team activities.

The event, according to the organizers, supports their goal of assisting families whose children are hospitalized and may have had to travel for care.

”We have such a generous community. Folks who care, who realize how difficult it is for these families who are struggling with their child in the hospital and then on top of it, having to figure out where to stay, what do I eat? Where do we do our laundry? How do I get to the hospital? So by supporting this event, they’re helping us provide all of those resources to those families at no cost,” said Shannon Greene, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois CEO.

According to Greene, the occasion is one of their major fundraisers, typically bringing in at least $50,000 for the charity.