“We raised 742 cans […] our Child Development center donated 300 cans.” Ni Bueno, Health Education Department chair, said.

Bueno and Monica Acuna, staff development assistant in human resources organized this year’s Turkey Trot, which brought out nearly 150 race participants.

She stated that in the year prior the Trot, raised over 800 cans, but they are happy to give any number of cans to the food pantry.

Dr. Carrie Edwards, kinesiology chair and Deborah Jensen, physical education instructor, years ago wanted to bring the community together and thus the Turkey Trot was born, according to Bueno.

As long as the Turkey Trot has been around, so has the “Toddler Trot.”

Bueno stated, that there may be some people out there who can come back and say “I did that tot trot 18 years ago.”

She added that every year the “Tot Trot” is run by student volunteers on campus and they host activities and an obstacle course.

Crystal Garcia, business management major, stated that there may have been up to 200 children participating in the “Tot Trot.”

The mini-trot race/obstacle course for the tots included hop scotch, jump ropes and sticker prizes.

Bueno and Acuna said, “We love getting them involved because [the children] are so cute.”

Along with the fact that the Child Development Center is always involved in collecting cans for the trot.

The Turkey Trot itself is a 1.5 mile run around the Cerritos College campus, entry being a dollar or a canned good.

First place prizes go to female and male students and faculty.

Bueno also stated that many of the goods given away for the race and raffle are donated by the different groups on campus.

She said, “[It’s] another way to get the campus community involved as well.”

Acuna and Bueno said the best thing people out there can do is to donate.

They added, “The Norwalk food pantry was low this year […] they were just very grateful that we could help them fill it up a little.”

Acuna stated that thoughts of opening the race and prizes to the general community hadn’t crossed their minds, but Bueno and herself were not opposed to the idea, “I think we stay focused on the community we have here […] but we’re not against it.”

They are now considering giving it a try in the near future.