Rubber ducks will be racing to the finish line soon to benefit Athens Food Rescue and the group’s efforts to feed the hungry.

AFR’s 4th annual Rubber Duck Derby is Saturday, July 13th from 11 AM to 2 PM at the West State Street Park in Athens.  There will be food, family games, prizes and, of course, the duck race.

Dozens of plastic ducks will be turned loose in the Hocking River for a dash downstream.  The first finishers will earn prizes for their adopted owners.

The top prize is a Columbus Experience Package valued at $500.  It includes passes to COSI, the zoo and the Franklin Park Conservatory and a $200 gift card.

You can adopt a duck for $5 or buy a “six quack” for $25 or a flock of 30 ducks for $100.

Adoptions can be made in three ways: at Friendly Paws, Nicole Conrath, DDS, the Farmacy and Inhale Yoga Studio; by email at Athensfoodrescue@gmail.com; and from AFR volunteers.

The annual Duck Derby is a significant source of revenue for Athens Food Rescue, which fights hunger by reducing food waste. Volunteers pick up excess food from area restaurants and other sources and redistribute it to feed hundreds of people in need, including residents of Athens’ homeless and domestic-violence shelters.

In 2018 AFR rescued over 30,500 pounds of food.

“We help to feed nearly 1,000 people each week through the dozen or so charities that we provide food,” said Teresa Curtiss, executive director.  “We do this work with roughly 20 volunteers and collect food from a dozen donors throughout the city.”

If you’d like to learn more about AFR, visit the group’s website – www.athensfoodrescue.com.