ATRS Donates Marathon Leftovers to Keep St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Clean & Green

Nation's fastest growing textile recycler collected dropped running gear on the course and donated perishables to charity.

NASHVILLE, TN (PRWEB) May 03, 2016

As men's marathon top finisher Scott Wietecha sprinted to his fourth consecutive win at St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville this past weekend, American Textile Recycling Service (ATRS) was on hand to celebrate its own fourth consecutive year helping participants run clean and green at the race.

Despite Saturday's rain, the ATRS green team and volunteers executed another successful ROCK RUN RECYCLE Campaign, allowing runners to skip the gear check and instead donate their warmup layers on the joint Marathon and Half Marathon course. Nearly 700 pounds of gently used, unwanted running apparel and shoes were donated by sustainable-minded attendees at the Start Line and during the two day Health & Fitness Expo that preceded the race. An additional 852 pounds of unused event t-shirts were also donated by Competitor Group, for a grand total of over 1,550 pounds of running gear recycled over Race Weekend.

Wietecha, who finished the full marathon with a time of 2:25:42, has placed first among men's finishers every year since 2013 and now holds the record as the only person to ever win a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon event four times. He is a local Hendersonville resident, a community which hosts many ATRS Clothing & Shoe Donation Bins.

The ROCK RUN RECYCLE Campaign does much more than allow runners to give the clothing & shoes they no longer need a second life. It also expands the philanthropic impact of this race, whose featured charity is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Every pound of gently used running apparel, shoes or warm up gear donated at the event benefits the Tennessee State Office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), directly supporting local drunk and drugged driving victims and their families.

Additionally, ATRS donated all the perishable and nonperishable food items collected from the finish line to area charity Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. The much needed donations totaled 96 cases of bananas and 19 pallets of other healthful food items, including bagels and pretzels. These items filled a full sized semi truck and were delivered for immediate distribution to community members in need.

"Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is grateful for the food donation from American Textile Recycling Service," says Elizabeth Bradbury, Communications Manager at Second Harvest. "All donations, large or small, make a difference in the lives of the more than 100,000 children, families and seniors at risk of hunger in Nashville."

ATRS would like to thank all the dedicated runners, eco-minded attendees and passionate spectators that supported the ROCK RUN RECYCLE Campaign and both benefitting charities this year in Tennessee. For four consecutive years, the campaign has helped to divert thousands of pounds of donated clothes, shoes, towels and other valuable textile items from Nashville landfill, but it isn't the only way to donate gently used clothing & shoes locally. Residents are encouraged to call the ATRS 24-Hr Hotline at 866-900-9308 or visit http://www.atrscorp.com to find a year round bin in their neighborhood.

About American Textile Recycling Service
American Textile Recycling Service (ATRS) is the nation's fastest growing textile recycler and an official recycling partner of Rock ‘n' Roll Marathon. Its socially responsible business model provides free textile recycling solutions for the public, job stimulation worldwide and much-needed funding for worthy local charities. Easy, convenient ATRS Donation Bins are available throughout Tennessee, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Atlanta, Oklahoma, Arizona, Indiana and Southern California. ATRS is committed to keeping textile waste from local landfills and promoting a greener tomorrow. For press inquires contact pr (at) atrsonline (dot) com.

About Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee
Organized in 1978, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is a private, not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization. Second Harvest's mission is to feed hungry people and work to solve hunger issues in our community. Second Harvest distributes food and other products to approximately 450 nonprofit partner agencies in 46 counties in Middle and West Tennessee. Our partners include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, childcare facilities, senior centers, group homes, and youth enrichment programs. For more information on Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and its programs, please visit secondharvestmidtn.org.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/05/prweb13386823.htm