'Love Portales' initiative to benefit community

PORTALES — The Portales Ministerial Alliance has banded together to serve the community.

The Alliance’s “Love Portales” initiative includes a summer full of public activities benefiting residents, including a 10 K run on Saturday.

Garnet Blaney, student pastor at First Baptist in Portales, along with the Ministerial Alliance has organized the Love Portales Fun Run at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

According to Blaney, participants have the option to run 1 mile, 5 kilometers, or 10 kilometers. The entry fee is $15 per participant, but all proceeds go to the Portales Recreation Center.

“We are even donating the T-shirts,” Blaney said.

Recreation Center Director Jodi Diaz said she is excited to see what these funds can do for the children of Portales.

Previous events like this have contributed to registration fees for children whose families cannot always afford to sign them up at the Recreation Center, Diaz said.

Diaz also said she plans to participate in the run and if she does not have her 1-year-old son with her, she hopes to be able to run the 5 K route, if she does have him, she will still aim to complete the mile.

“I haven’t run (a 5K) in a while, so this should be interesting,” Diaz said.

Garnet Blaney said the event will likely include 50 runners but she hopes that it will grow into a huge event in the future.

Blaney added that this run is a part of a bigger effort by the Ministerial Alliance called “servant evangelism.”

“We really want to serve the community,” Blaney said.

Other components of the effort include:

• Providing car kits for children to put together at the Portales Chamber of Commerce’s movie in the park, as well as hosting free concessions.

• Hosting give-aways at area businesses and the Post Office on Friday. This includes light-bulbs for families and back packs for students returning to school in August.

• Free car washes, and water stations to beat the heat

• Members will also be posted at local restaurants handing each table $5 for their meal during lunch time and dinner time.

• A monthly food distribution in conjunction with the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico at Central Christian Church, including on Saturday.

• Saturday evening, the Alliance is holding a celebration at City Park from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

There will be free tacos for up to 1,000 people.

“Bring your own chairs or blankets to sit on,” Blaney said, “this is a time for fellowship and fun.”

In total, Blaney said, Ministerial Alliance members will total 150 people at all of Saturday’s events.