Healthy Kids Running Series Brings Movement and Joy to Local Families
On weekend mornings, West Philadelphia and Norristown come alive with music, cheering and the thump of sneakers.
What looks like a neighborhood festival is the Healthy Kids Running Series (HKRS), a national nonprofit that creates inclusive, entry-level running experiences for kids across the U.S. CHOP leads and operates the HKRS programs in these two area communities so children ages 2–18 can discover the joy of running while building confidence and healthy habits. Learn More
Making Movement Fun, Affordable and Within Reach
Established through CHOP Cares Grant funding, the HKRS sites in West Philadelphia and Norristown aim to remove cost barriers and keep participation within reach for families.
Guided by Community Health Needs Assessment learnings, CHOP makes participation accessible by reducing the national fee of $45–$50 to just $5. Each child receives a shirt, race bibs, a swag bag, snacks and a finisher medal, ensuring runners feel welcomed and supported, and that families with multiple children can easily participate.
Volunteers Bring Energy, Structure and Heart
Both CHOP sites are entirely volunteer-run, with about 10 CHOP employee volunteers per location each race day. Volunteers arrive early to measure distances, set up courses, time races, guide families, and, most importantly, cheer every child along the course and across the finish line.
Older participants earn weekly points toward a season trophy, boosting motivation. A local youth DJ — who first got involved with the program as a high school student — keeps spirits high, while longtime volunteers lead warm-ups and confidence-building chants that help every child feel ready to give it their all.
Bridging the Summer Hunger Gap
Across the U.S., millions of children rely on free school meals, but when summer starts, that safety net disappears. Though the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds summer meal programs, many families don’t know they exist or how to access them. In Pennsylvania, only one in 12 eligible children receives summer meals.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) recognized how critical it is to fill that gap, to help ensure no child goes hungry when school is out. Learn More
Where It Began
Complete Eats started in 2017 when Dr. Danielle Cullen and her team launched a small pilot offering free summer meals right in CHOP’s Emergency Department, meeting families where they already were.
The effort quickly proved that providing meals in a clinical setting could reach children who might otherwise miss out. That success became the foundation for a program now thriving across CHOP’s Care Network.
Growing Through Partnership
Strong partnerships made growth possible. Through the USDA Food Service Program, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, CHOP expanded Complete Eats from the pilot in the Emergency Department to a total of nine CHOP Care Network sites.
Families can stop by any site for a healthy, free breakfast or lunch for children of all ages regardless of whether they are CHOP patients — no forms, no questions.
Cooking Up Healthier Futures
In a bright teaching kitchen on Market Street, laughter and the scent of sizzling vegetables fill the air. Here, children and parents aren’t just learning recipes, they’re discovering how small changes can make a big difference in their health.
At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Health and Well-Being Clinic, care extends beyond checkups. At the clinic, families build lasting habits in eating, movement and well-being. Its Nutrition Is Culinary Healthy Eating (NICHE) program brings those lessons to life through hands-on cooking. Learn More
From Clinic to Kitchen
Each week, families gather in the clinic’s teaching kitchen for NICHE sessions, where they learn, cook and share healthy meals together. During the first half of each session, children build confidence in the teaching gym while parents explore nutrition and meal prep with a culinary educator. The children then join their parents to slice, mix and taste what they make — turning clinic lessons into everyday practice.
The first classes, held in October 2024, quickly filled and inspired strong word-of-mouth interest.
Food as Medicine, Learning as Connection
Many NICHE families also receive monthly food bags and deliveries through CHOP’s Food Pharmacy, which screens every clinic family for food insecurity. NICHE helps them make the most of those groceries, showing how to turn fresh fruits, vegetables and pantry staples into nutritious, affordable meals.
This approach links care and education, helping families apply what they learn in clinic to their own kitchens while strengthening access to food at home.
Growing Stronger with Support
In its first year, 45 families participated in NICHE programming, with many returning for multiple sessions and reporting healthier eating habits, like trying new vegetables and choosing more nutritious foods at home.
Initially funded by CHOP’s Office of Community Impact, the program has also relied on support from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education (SNAP-Ed), which will end on September 30, 2026. Continued philanthropic support can help sustain and grow this hands-on approach to family wellness.
To donate funds to NICHE, contact the Office of Community Impact.
Learn more about the Health and Well-being Clinic.
