Stop the Stigma 5K to take place April 30; encourages awareness and acceptance of mental health and addiction

Run or Walk to Stop the Stigma

Proceeds from Interfaith Social Services’ annual 5K provide mental health counseling sessions for those in need

One in every five U.S. adults experienced a mental illness last year. Nearly 17% of youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year. More than a million people in the U.S. have died from overdoses in the last decade. Mental illness and addiction are prevalent, and we’ve all been touched in some way. On April 30, hundreds will take to the streets of North Quincy to run and walk in support of mental health in Interfaith Social Services’ Stop the Stigma 5K.

Now in its 48th year, the Stop the Stigma 5K encourages awareness and acceptance of mental health and addiction issues while raising funds for Interfaith’s New Directions Counseling Center. The Center serves anyone seeking counseling but prides itself on being a safety net for the uninsured and underinsured members of our community by offering services on a sliding scale fee system.

To further break down barriers to receiving treatment, new clients to the New Directions Counseling Center receive their first four sessions free of charge.

“We want clients to focus on their health first,” said Interfaith’s Executive Director Rick Doane. “Many potential clients do not seek the treatment they need because they think that they will not qualify for the sliding-fee scale or are embarrassed to admit that they cannot afford it. By providing these free sessions we allow them to focus on getting treatment first.”

Proceeds from the Stop the Stigma 5K help offset the cost of thousands of mental health counseling sessions each year for clients across the South Shore. A single 5K registration alone funds one counseling session for a neighbor in need.

This year the Stop the Stigma 5K will be offered in both in-person and virtual formats.

• The in-person race will be held April 30 at the Kennedy Center in North Quincy. The 5K route winds through the Squantum neighborhood, with picturesque views of the Harbor and Boston’s skyline.
• For those choosing the virtual option, they can run a course of their choice between April 30 and May 6 and submit times online.

All participants registering before March 25 will receive a race t-shirt.

To register:

Registration is open now at StoptheStigma5k.org.

The 2022 Stop the Stigma 5K is sponsored by many generous local businesses, including 5K Level Sponsors Arbella Insurance Foundation, The Heritage Companies and Quirk Auto Dealers; Gold Level Sponsors Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital – Milton, IntelyCare, J. Calnan & Associates and SandBox Medical LLC; and Silver Level Sponsors Baker, Braverman & Barbadoro, P.C., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Burgin, Platner & Co. LLC, First Congregational Church Randolph UCC, FoxRock Properties, Keohane Funeral Home, the Law Offices of William T. Kennedy, P.C., Plymouth Quarries, Point32Health, SIGNET Electronic Systems, South Shore Bank, South Shore Health and United Healthcare. Massachusetts Convention Center Authority is a Media Sponsor. Gold Medal Bakery & Bagel Boy is kindly providing bagels and Polar Beverages will be donating water for race participants.

Interfaith Social Services provides South Shore residents with the resources necessary to support a healthy and fulfilling life. Their programs include one of the largest emergency food programs in Greater Boston as well as a mental health counseling center, homelessness prevention program, the Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop and seasonal initiatives bringing joy to children and families in need.

To find out more about Interfaith’s programs, visit InterfaithSocialServices.org.