Make a Difference This November: Your Guide to the Mayflower Marathon in Virginia 2025
November brings falling leaves and cooler weather, and ushers in the season of gratitude and giving. As families across Hampton Roads prepare for Thanksgiving celebrations, many neighbors still face the harsh reality of food insecurity. That’s where the Mayflower Marathon 2025 steps in as one of the region’s most impactful holiday food drives.
Organized by FM99 and 106.9 The Fox in partnership with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, this extraordinary event transforms our community into a powerful force against hunger. For 57 non-stop hours, volunteers, donors, and radio hosts unite with a single mission: ensuring every family has food on their table during the holidays.
Whether you’re looking to donate canned goods, contribute financially, or volunteer your time, the Mayflower Marathon Virginia 2025 offers meaningful ways for everyone to make an impact. Ready to join thousands of your neighbors in this incredible tradition? Here’s everything you need to know about getting involved.
What Is the Mayflower Marathon?
The Mayflower Marathon stands as one of Hampton Roads’ most cherished traditions, now entering its remarkable 29th year. This beloved event began in 1997 when 106.9 The Fox launched the initiative, partnering with the Mayflower® moving company as the original sponsor. The goal was simple yet profound: rally the community to support local food banks when families need help most.
In 2008, FM99 joined with The Fox, dramatically amplifying the event’s reach and impact. The Mayflower Marathon Virginia 2025 continues this powerful tradition, serving as far more than just a food drive. It’s a community-wide movement that brings together businesses, schools, families, and individuals from diverse backgrounds.
This year features an exciting $35,000 matching gift from Kroger, effectively doubling the impact of every dollar contributed during the event.
The event’s mission remains clear: fighting hunger locally and ensuring families have access to nutritious meals during the holiday season. Last year alone, generous donors helped provide more than 914,000 meals to neighbors facing food insecurity. With over 132,240 people projected to be food insecure in the Foodbank’s service area, events like the Mayflower Marathon serve as critical lifelines for families throughout the year.
What makes this marathon truly special is its ability to transform individual acts of kindness into collective community impact. Every donation, every volunteer hour, and every shared story creates an impact that extends far beyond the 57-hour event window.
When and Where: Key Details for 2025
Mark your calendars for November 21-23, 2025, when the 29th Annual FM99 and 106.9 The Fox Mayflower Marathon kicks into high gear. This holiday food drive runs continuously for 57 hours, starting Friday morning and concluding Sunday afternoon.
The Mayflower Marathon 2025 features two convenient drive-through donation locations:
Lynnhaven Mall (behind AMC movie theater)
701 Lynnhaven Pkwy., Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Continuous service from Friday 11/21 at 5:30am to Sunday 11/23 at 3:00pm
Kroger Marketplace
1017 University Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23435
Friday 7:00am-7:00pm | Saturday 7:00am-7:00pm | Sunday 7:00am-3:00pm
Both locations offer seamless drive-through experiences, making it easy for busy families to participate without leaving their vehicles. Over 700 dedicated volunteers will be stationed at these sites, ready to unload donations, offer enthusiastic cheers of gratitude, and ensure the entire process runs smoothly.
How to Get Involved
The beauty of the Mayflower Marathon lies in its accessibility. There are numerous ways to participate, regardless of your schedule or circumstances.
Donate Food
Holiday food drive donations form the heart of the Mayflower Marathon. The most impactful donations share three key traits: shelf stability, strong nutrition, and everyday versatility.
Priority items include:
- Non-perishable proteins: Canned tuna, chicken, or salmon (water-packed, low sodium), beans and lentils, peanut or almond butter
- Whole-grain staples: Brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, old-fashioned oats
- Canned fruits and vegetables: Low-sodium vegetables like tomatoes and corn, fruit packed in 100% juice
- Holiday essentials: Frozen turkeys, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, and other festive meal components
- Kid-friendly options: Shelf-stable milk, whole-grain crackers, baby food pouches
Each bag of donations you contribute can provide multiple meals for families in need. The Foodbank’s efficient distribution system ensures your holiday food drive donations reach neighbors quickly and effectively.
Donate Money
Every dollar you give to the Foodbank goes a long way. With our buying power and efficient distribution, just $1 can provide two nutritious meals for those in need.
Financial gifts enable the Foodbank to purchase high-demand items like lean proteins, fresh produce, and culturally familiar staples that enhance health outcomes.
Online donation options make contributing simple and accessible, allowing you to support the Mayflower Marathon Virginia 2025 from anywhere while sharing your participation with friends and family.
Volunteer During the Holiday Season
Looking for a hands-on way to volunteer holiday season time for maximum impact? The Mayflower Marathon offers various volunteer opportunities that create immediate, tangible differences in your community.
Volunteer opportunities include:
- Greeting and providing directions
- Unloading donations from vehicles
- Sorting and organizing collected items
- Supporting logistics and coordination efforts
- Maintaining enthusiasm and positive energy throughout the event
Group volunteering opportunities welcome participation from schools, workplaces, and families, making it an excellent way to bond while serving others.
Tips for a Successful Donation
Maximize your impact with these practical donation guidelines:
- Check expiration dates before donating to ensure food safety
- Avoid glass containers which can break during transport and sorting
- Focus on protein and whole grains for maximum nutritional impact
- Consider baby formula and diapers as essential non-food items families need
- Skip damaged packages including opened, torn, or severely dented items
- Don’t forget about personal care items like toothpaste, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products. These necessities often get overlooked but provide tremendous relief for families stretching every dollar.
Why It Matters: The Impact of the Mayflower Marathon
In 2024, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore distributed over 24 million pounds of food, with 70 percentF being fresh produce. This was made possible by nearly 7,000 volunteers.
However, the need is year-round. One in eight neighbors in our region faces food insecurity, and in some areas, one in three children go hungry. Donations from the Mayflower Marathon 2025 help sustain the Foodbank’s programs beyond the holidays, like mobile food distributions. Last year’s drive provided 914,000 meals, demonstrating the power of neighbors helping neighbors. Each contribution, big or small, supports families during their most challenging moments.
Join Hampton Roads’ Greatest Tradition
Every can donated, every dollar contributed, and every hour volunteered during the Mayflower Marathon 2025 creates measurable differences in real families’ lives. This isn’t just about collecting food; it’s about demonstrating the incredible power of community when we unite around shared values of compassion and care.
Whether you’re a longtime participant or discovering this tradition for the first time, the Mayflower Marathon Virginia 2025 offers you a seat at the table to witness Hampton Roads’ at its absolute best. Join thousands of your neighbors November 21-23 as we work together to ensure everyone has a place at the holiday table.
The need is great, but so is this community’s heart. Together, we can surpass last year’s milestone of 914,000 meals and prove once again that when Hampton Roads comes together, remarkable things happen.