Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage returns for 21st year

A participant at past Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage dressed like the Grinch.
Photo credit: Safe Passage

NORTHAMPTON — The Hot Chocolate Run is returning on Dec. 7 from 8 a.m. to noon in what is set to be another big year of the 5K event, which celebrates and supports Safe Passage, the Hampshire County organization addressing domestic violence.

Since 1977, the organization has helped thousands of families achieve safety, build justice and rebuild their lives in the wake of domestic violence.

The Hot Chocolate Run is a race day of community connection, allowing for the public to be involved in a caring community that raises money, and sends a powerful message of love and support to survivors of domestic violence. Participants join year after year to spend time with family and friends, run the challenging 5K course with serious competition, and support Safe Passage and its important programs for survivors of domestic violence.

“Domestic violence is incredibly isolating. That’s part of that experience. On event day, there are thousands of people from the community are there either because they’ve experienced domestic violence themselves, someone they know has, or they just want to take a stand against it,” explained Safe Passage Director of Development Natalie Ulrich. “For any survivors that are there, it’s very powerful to see a group of people and a community come together and say ‘you’re not alone, this isn’t right, and that we take a stand against this.’ There’s that very powerful piece to the event.”

Ulrich told Reminder Publishing the event was started in 2004 by a former Safe Passage board member looking to raise funds for Safe Passage children’s programming that, at the time, was experiencing a funding cut. That first year of the event saw 400 runners help raise $6,000.

As of print time, this year’s event has already seen over 5,000 participants sign up, with 471 teams in total. Safe Passage anticipates that the Hot Chocolate Run will meet its maximum of 6,300 runners this year, which would be a sellout for the first time since 2019. Hopes are also to beat its fundraising record from last year of $834,000. Their general goal is to raise $800,000.

The Dec. 7 event will kick off its 3K walk at 9 a.m., followed by the 5K Fun Run at 9:30 a.m. The 5K race will begin at 10:15 a.m. The race day start line is at the intersection of Crafts Avenue and Old South Street in downtown Northampton.

To register, donate or sign up to volunteer, visit www.hotchocolaterun.com. Adult registration is $40, while students and seniors can register for $30. Children under 12, meanwhile, can register for $25. As of print time, 5,160 participants have signed up, and the organization has raised $510,932 so far. Registration will close at 6,300 participants.

Money raised will directly support Safe Passage and its programming. The organization’s counselors help survivors of domestic violence get connected to the statewide system of emergency shelters and housing resources.

Community services include counseling, advocacy, support groups, immigration support, and legal advice and counsel on Probate and Family Court matters. All of these services are offered at their Northampton office and locations throughout Hampshire County.

The organization serves survivors of all genders, and services are free and accessible to people with disabilities. They also offer outreach and prevention work with adults and youth, and all the work they do with families remains confidential.

“Money raised at the hot chocolate run funds all of those programs, and historically, money from the Hot Chocolate Run has allowed us to really answer the call when we have clients that are saying they need something that typically is not something that we have funding for. So we’ve used ot Hot Chocolate Run money to launch new programs and run them for a year or so, and really prove that they are needed and successful. And then [we’re] able to turn around and apply for more stable funding for those programs,” explained Ulrich.

She added, “The run has really enabled us to meet survivors where they’re at and with what they need, and not just with what historically organizations offering services might offer, so we’ve been able to kind of flex as the world changes and as our clients change and as their needs change, so that’s been incredible.”

Ulrich said the event will also feature tables set up at the finish line for sponsors of the event, and for Safe Passage team members who want to share information and connect with the public about their work. She added that the community connection made through the event allows the public to become more familiar with the organization and its work. She said the event also helps give survivors of domestic violence a safe haven for support.

“Because this event has grown to the size that it has, it certainly has become our largest engagement opportunity with the community, and so there is a ton of community education that happens around the event,” Ulrich said. “Safe Passage starting to have that community recognition as a resource is so, so important to our community.”

Ulrich added, “For me and my team, we work on this event for six months, and so for us, race day is just this massive celebration of all the hard work that has been done by staff, volunteers and by our fundraisers. We encourage our participants to fundraise; that’s why the event is so successful. It’s a big party to say thank you to everyone for taking a stand. Fingers crossed we have sun, but looking forward to getting a chance to say thank you to everyone.”

To learn more about Safe Passage and domestic violence visit https://safepass.org.