The local Red Ribbon Run & Festival will help raise awareness of substance abuse prevention and education in San Benito County.
The 34th annual Red Ribbon event will take place 8-11am Oct. 19, starting in front of the Veterans Memorial Building, 649 San Benito Street in downtown Hollister. The event is held in partnership with San Benito County Behavioral Health and the City of Hollister Parks and Recreation departments.
The Oct. 19 Red Ribbon Run also kids off the national Red Ribbon Week campaign that encourages youth and their families to live drug free, according to San Benito County. Nationally, Red Ribbon Week takes place Oct. 23-31.
“There were 11 documented opioid overdoses in San Benito County in 2023, five of which were due to fentanyl poisoning,” county spokesperson Rosemerry Dere said in an email. “With 78 Americans dying every day from an opioid overdose, drug-related deaths in the United States are at an all-time high.”
The theme for this year’s Red Ribbon drug use prevention campaign is “Life is a Movie, Film Drug Free.” In addition to the Oct. 19 events, local schools will participate in lunchtime activities in collaboration with the county’s office of education and the Hollister School District.
There will be art, video and classroom door contests at the schools to encourage students to express how they choose to live drug free, says a press release from the county.
The county’s office of education will also host a number of presentations at local schools from Oct. 14-31; and there will be a free film screening of “Fentanyl High,” which was produced by a young filmmaker from the Bay Area.
The Oct. 19 festival in Hollister includes a 3K fun run and a 5K competitive run—both of which will begin at 8:15am. The event will also feature resource booths, entertainment, food, raffles and prizes in downtown Hollister.
The event is family friendly and pets are welcome.
Runners can register online at https://tinyurl.com/2thaxh2v. “Early bird pricing” is available through Oct. 11. Limited race entry scholarships are available for those in need of assistance paying the registration fee.
More information is available on the San Benito County Behavioral Health social media pages.
