One race worth

following in the fall

In the height of summer, with the mercury peaking, one thermometer unfortunately hasn’t budged.

North Brunswick’s Lou Ann Benson will likely join thousands of runners at the Oct. 3 New Jersey Shore Half Marathon, held in Sandy Hook. Benson is not running to crack the five-minute mile or attain other personal feats, but is trying to raise 1,000 canned and nonperishable food contributions for each of the 13.1 miles she’ll run, all to be donated to the North Brunswick Food Bank.

A red thermometer sign has been placed in the township’s municipal building, 710 Hermann Road, to track her contributions. There has been little progress to chart yet, but she’s hopeful it will eventually "overflow with the overwhelming dedication of our residents."

Summer is typically a challenging time for local pantries to draw attention to food shortages, as Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services (MCFOODS) Project Manager Jennifer Apostol noted in last week’s edition. Many are on vacation or out sunbathing, and hunger is the furthest thing from their minds.

But Benson has proved to be an exception, even though it would be understandable if other issues dominated her thoughts.

She recently survived a bout with cancer, and also dedicated her time helping her child recover from near paralysis incurred from a gymnastics accident. Not even a foot injury in June, which caused some to ask Benson to consider quitting, could stop her from waking up to train at hours when most of us are fast asleep.

Benson’s dedication to this charitable goal is worthy of recognition and support, and we wish her luck in seeing it through to the finish line.