Getting out for a little exercise can be a gratifying way to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday, especially when it benefits a good cause.

The fourth annual Foodbank Farm 5K at Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust’s Salt Bay Farm in Damariscotta offers such an opportunity Thanksgiving Day. Starting at 9 a.m. on November 25, this is an informal, volunteer-organized event to benefit Twin Villages Foodbank Farm (TVFF).

The 5K trail run and 1-mile walk/fun run are open to runners and walkers of all ages. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome.

The 5K course is on broad mown trails with gentle hills, making two loops around the fields at Coastal Rivers’ scenic Salt Bay Farm on Belvedere Road in Damariscotta. The race will not be officially timed, but there will be someone at the finish line to let participants know their finish time. Prizes will be awarded to the top male and female finishers.

Preregistration is required and may be done online at twinvillagesfarm.org/foodbank-farm-5k. There is no fee to participate, though monetary donations to TVFF are encouraged and can be made online during registration.

To facilitate contact tracing and safe distancing, there will be no race-day registration. The event hosts require that all participants over the age of 11 be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

TVFF’s mission is to grow and distribute healthy food for those who need it most in Lincoln County. TVFF serves pantries in Newcastle/Damariscotta, Jefferson, Boothbay, Wiscasset, Waldoboro, Whitefield, and New Harbor, as well as several local youth food programs. To learn more about the farm or to make a secure online donation, visit twinvillagesfarm.org. TVFF operates in close partnership with Coastal Rivers. Coastal Rivers donates use of its prime farmland at Salt Bay Farm and provides administrative, fundraising and communications support.

Coastal Rivers is a non-profit, member-supported, nationally accredited land trust caring for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access, and deepening connections to nature through education programs. For more information, email info@coastalrivers.org or visit coastalrivers.org.