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Hunter’s Heroes Inaugural Run and Peyton Townsend Spaghetti Dinner Brings in over 20K in Scholarship Money

By Mark S. Kenna

June 11, 2013. Hunter’s Heroes two-day event broke expectations of the Hunter’s Heroes advisory board by raising over $20,000 in scholarship money for Hunter Mast and Lilly Grace Townsend.

“We did not expect it to start so big,” Carol Cook, a member of Hunter’s Heroes advisory board, said.  “But when you’re a from a community like ours, I should know better.”

The spaghetti dinner, held at Greenway Baptist Church Family Life Center, fed over 500 people with 60 pounds of pasta provided by Earthfare the night before the race. 

The next day, 302 runners showed up and finished the race.  Of the total, 88 participants finished the 10-mile run that started at the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and ended at the Blowing Rock Police Department.  There was also a 5k that began at the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and ended at the Boone Police Department. 

Lawrence Friedman, age 76, one of the 10 mile runners who trekked from the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office to the Blowing Rock Police Department.

All the money from the run and spaghetti dinner will be spit between Hunter Mast, son of Deputy William Mast, who was killed in the line of duty last summer and Lilly Grace Townsend the older sister of Peyton Townsend, the Deep Gap girl who tragically passed away in a freak accident last summer.

The plan is for Hunter’s Heroes to add new recipients of the money raised.

The newest recipient is Robert (Rob) Scott David the son of Major Ryan Scott David, a flight navigator of the 145th Airlift Wing with the N.C. Air National Guard, said Cook.  David passed on July 21, 2012 when his plan crashed while helping to manage a wildfire.  He left behind his wife Jenny Ellerbee.

Next month the next recipient will be announced, focusing specifically on another person in the law enforcement, fire and rescure who has passed.  It will be posted on the Hunter’s Heroes Facebook page.

Next year the run is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m.

Sponsors can be found here, while donors can be found by clicking here.

Donations can be made in the form of cash or check. Checks can be made out to Hunter’s Heroes.

For more information on Hunter’s Heroes click huntersheroes2013.com