Open Doors for Refugees and the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison-Wisconsin are hosting to the 44th annual Freeze For Food race Saturday, March 1, with all proceeds going toward refugee families in the Madison area, according to the Freeze For Food website.
The 5k event will begin at noon at the Vilas Park Shelter, with the 10k event following after at 1 p.m., volunteer coordinator for Freeze for Food and active ODFR member Dannah Altiti said. Altiti is currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin, finishing her degree in microbiology.
Along with the funds raised from the race, there will be a food drive for the Goodman Community Center Fritz Food Pantry on race day, where people can bring non-perishable food items to donate at the shelter.
“It’s [Freeze for Food event] right by Vilas Park or the Henry Vilas Zoo, so it’s super close to campus, so it’s really accessible to students,” Altiti said.
While the event has been going on since 1982, in 2017 RPCV began a partnership with ODFR in which ODFR became the primary beneficiary, according to a press release sent to The Badger Herald.
OFDR mostly helps out with donations and moving newly arriving refugee families to the Madison area. Their services include collecting donations of furniture, translation services, employment services, transportation services and English learning courses, Altiti said. Run by volunteers like Altiti, ODFR helps refugees from varying locations like Afghanistan or the Congo settle in Madison, according to the ODFR website.
Since 2017, when ODFR became the primary beneficiary, over $85,000 has been donated, according to the press release sent to The Badger Herald.
Altiti has been involved in refugee advocacy since high school and began volunteering with OFDR during her freshman year of college.
“When I came to Madison, I really wanted to find something to do to help support refugees in this area,” Altiti said. “At first, I didn’t think there was much. I kind of only saw Madison as a college town and then I started to do more and more research and I found Open Doors for Refugees.”
People who have an interest in the event can still sign up to either volunteer or run March 1. Participants call also register on race day, Altiti said.
Madison residents and students interested in helping OFDR and the services they offer can visit the OFDR website, which has a volunteer section, as well as open opportunities, Altiti said.
“I just really think it helps, especially as students, to connect ourselves with the Madison community,” Altiti said.
