McDONALD — Nearly 80 children and adults braved the cold, windy weather this week to participate in fundraising runs in the village to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.

Three McDonald High School seniors, Sophie Johnson, Rita Domitrovich and Juliana Krumpak, needed a senior project as members of the National Honor Society and came up with the idea of “Feed the Need.”

Domitrovich said the Feed the Need is designed to raise funds from each participant in either a 1-mile fun run around the football track or a 2-mile run through parts of the village.

The event raised more than $2,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank.

Krumpak said children did the fun run, and teens and adults, the 2-mile run or walk.

Andrea Mason, a teacher in the school district and adviser of the NHS, explained that each NHS member has to do a senior project to help better the community. She said other students’ projects have included blood drives and painting a mural at Woodland Park.

Krumpak said her father, Josh, suggested the idea to her as a senior project.

“We knew for our project we wanted to do a race of some sort because we both run,” Krumpak said. “We knew Second Harvest Food Bank was a local foundation that we wanted to support.”

The organization helped the school district provide food for the backpack buddies program and “They helped a lot during COVID with the food for the children,” Mason said.

Johnson said registration fees and sponsors provided the funds for Second Harvest Food Bank.

McDonald Mayor Ray Lewis, who followed the runners through the village in a vehicle, said the event organized by the three seniors “Shows great leadership amongst our students both in the classroom and in the community.”

Domitrovich said medals and prizes were presented to the top runners in each race.

PARTICIPANTS

Ethan Domitrovich, a medical student at Penn State and a runner, said he wanted to help his sister Rita and the others with their NHS project.

“I am used to running on the streets in McDonald, so I am familiar with the run route. This was a lot of fun and for a good cause to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. Running for this is so much more knowing you are putting one foot in front of the other to raise funds to help families get food. We are providing for those in need at this time,” he said.

Ethan Domitrovich was the first-place winner in the 2-mile run.

The young runners also had fun.

Olivia Sheesley, 7, of McDonald, was the first-place winner for the 1-mile fun run and the first female runner.

“It was freezing outside, but my friends and I had fun running around the track,” she said.

Karen Sheesely, mother of Olivia, said the entire family runs.

“We all get out and run at different events,” she said.

The family took part in a Walk for Hunger in Youngstown in October.

Fiona Robertson, 10, of McDonald, said her stepmom, Kayla Latimer, encouraged her to sign up for the event.

At times, the cold made it hard to run, she said, but she “kept telling myself to never give up.”