The MK Food Bank is asking local people to sign up for the city’s Marathon Weekend on May 3 and May 4, 2026, to help feed families in need. The two-day festival in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, will help the charity meet rising costs and buy essential items that top up donations, so it can continue delivering thousands of food parcels to residents struggling with high bills.
Participants can choose from several races, including the Rocket 5K on Sunday, or the Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon Relay on Bank Holiday Monday. People who take a charity place are offered a discounted or waived entry fee if they commit to a fundraising pledge; typical guidance for charity fundraising ranges (depending on distance) and the MK Marathon charity guidance suggests starting targets such as about £300 for a half and £500 for a full. The routes use Milton Keynes’s Redways and finish with a lap inside Stadium MK.
Local demand for emergency food remains high, with the charity currently distributing an estimated 5,000–6,000 food parcels every month. Operations Manager Louisa Hobbs told MKFM that many working families are still finding it hard to pay for both rent and food. The money raised through charity runners will be used to buy ‘gap’ items that are donated less often — such as tinned meat, long-life milk and hygiene products like soap — which are vital to the nutritional balance and dignity of crisis parcels.
The food bank has a strong history of community support, including setting a Guinness World Record on 16 October 2023 for the longest line of food cans (102,447 cans). Organisers hope this year’s marathon will help them reach more donors to keep services running. A fundraising volunteer at last year’s event summed up the impact, saying: “Every £1 raised is a meal provided for a neighbour in crisis.”
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