Greater Boston Natives Run the 125th Boston Marathon to Support Homeless Children and Parents

Four Boston natives join a team of nine running the Boston Marathon on October 11 in support of homeless families. Each runner is raising funds in for FamilyAid, a Boston-based nonprofit that empowers children and parents facing homelessness to secure and sustain housing and build strong foundations for their futures.

FamilyAid’s 2021 marathon team members have lifelong running experience and jumped at the opportunity to combine their passion with an act of service. The four Greater Boston natives are Carmela DeCandia, a child psychologist and trauma advocate for homeless families; Austin Frank, a long-time homelessness volunteer; David Thorton, a nonprofit advocate; and Alexis Sabatino, a first-time marathon runner and mental health advocate.

Boston now has the third highest number of families experiencing homelessness on any given night in the country. Over the past year, FamilyAid provided 3,000 children and parents with the shelter, housing, and the supportive services needed to sustain or return to stable housing. During the pandemic, FamilyAid added emergency initiatives that provided 580,000 pounds of essential food and supplies to families weekly and $1.1 million in direct financial assistance to ensure families could pay for food, utilities, and other basic needs. The organization also opened a new, safe refuge shelter for families who arrived in Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center emergency rooms seeking a place to stay.  Families who are placed in housing by FamilyAid have a 99% success rate of remaining housed a year later.

Through the John Hancock Marathon Non-Profit Program, and the dedication and support of FamilyAid’s Marathon team, FamilyAid hopes to raise critically needed funds to create lasting solutions to the family homelessness crisis in our community. To learn more about FamilyAid Boston, please visit www.familyaidboston.org.

To make a donation to FamilyAid’s 2021 Boston Marathon Team, please visit our page.