Jingle bells are a familiar sound throughout the Holiday season; but for one Girls on the Run of the Triangle team, the sound represents a true spirit of giving that adds up to 389 pounds of generosity.

 During the Girls on the Run season, each site completes a community service project in order to demonstrate generosity and gratitude. This season, the girls at the Clubworx decided to host a food drive that would also prove to inspire their workouts.  Each girl recruited family and friends to pledge a number of canned food items for each lap the girls completed on the community project day.

 As the girls ran, they tallied their progress by receiving a jingle bell for each completed lap. The jingle bells were a fun incentive for the girls to do their best while running that day, and the girls even wore the jingle bells at the end of season Reindeer Romp 5K to remind them of their accomplishments.

 Volunteer Coach Mentor, Crystal Howard reports each girl ran over 3 miles that day, and for many, was the most successful run of the season:  “their energy and enthusiasm was contagious!” says Coach Howard. Participant Megan George was excited to tell everyone who sponsored her that she ran 18 laps: “I knew that was going to be a lot of food!” says Megan. Little did she know her prediction couldn’t have been more accurate. By the end of the run, the girls as a team had run far enough to collect 389 pounds of canned goods!

 “When I took the food items to the food bank, everyone was so appreciative and grateful for the gift our girls were able to bestow,” says Coach Howard.

  “My favorite part was giving food to people who don’t have as much as I do,” says Megan. Her jingle bells are now a huge source of pride for her entire family. “Through this experience, Megan learned that working hard at something can not only benefit her, but also others in her community,” says Megan’s mom Wendy.

 That pride continues on in the George Family home, as Megan’s jingle bells now hang on the family Christmas tree. The traditional Holiday symbol now serves for something much more meaningful throughout the Christmas season: as a continuous reminder of how rewarding a giving spirit can be.