BY: GABRIELLA ISQUIRDO | CINDY RAMSEY CENTER
This November, Run Project’s Pumpkin Spice Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and 1 Mile is proud to support the Cindy Ramsey Center, a Fort Worth nonprofit working to build pathways to food security for neighbors in need. In this guest post, Gabriella Isquirdo of the Cindy Ramsey Center shares how something as simple as a $6 pumpkin spice latte can look very different from one household to another.
Wake up! It’s race day. You head to the race and stop and grab a coffee on the way. Pumpkin
Spice, of course! Total comes out to about $6; you pay and then you’re on your way. For most of
us, that’s it. You get to the race, check in and you’re off to a great raceday.
But what if $6 isn’t just coffee?
$6 is the peas and sweet potatoes.
A couple of school lunches.
It’s the difference between making it to payday vs going into the negatives.
It can be the little bit of breathing room left after everything else has been paid.
And sometimes, there simply isn’t any breathing room left.
Food Insecurity Doesn’t Always Look Like Hunger
Food insecurity doesn’t always look like an empty refrigerator. Sometimes it looks like standing
in the grocery store adding up every item before you get to the register. Sometimes it looks like
putting something back. Sometimes it looks like watching the gas gauge and the bank balance
at the same time. Often, it’s skipping the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Buy the latte, enjoy it and beat your personal best during the race. Let that coffee remind you of
something we don’t always see. The freedom to spend $6 without thinking about it.
At Cindy Ramsey Center, we want our neighbors to experience more of that freedom. Food
assistance can create room in a family’s budget for the other things life requires. Not just the $6
latte but the unexpected medical bill. The Christmas gift for their 8 year old. The confidence in
knowing your card won’t decline and most importantly, knowing someone cares about you.
Building Pathways to Food Security
Food assistance is only the first step. Our mission goes beyond stocking pantry shelves. By
acting as a community resource hub, we help connect our neighbors with employment
opportunities, health care, veteran support, and critical assistance through partner
organizations. In doing so, we have been able to help build pathways to food security for our
neighbors, ultimately empowering them to become fully self-sufficient so they no longer need
our support.
Meet Us at the Starting Line
So this November, we’ll meet you at the starting line.
Bring your running shoes.
Bring your pumpkin spice.
And bring a little more awareness of just how much $6 can mean.
Want to learn more about the impact of our partnership? Read how the Cindy Ramsey Center and Run Project are working together to build pathways to food security in Fort Worth.
RUN LOCAL. GIVE LOCAL.
Join us at Pumpkin Spice
Saturday, November 21, 2026
Panther Island Pavilion | Fort Worth, TX
Half Marathon • 10K • 5K • 1 Mile
Learn more about the Cindy Ramsey Center
