Dust off your walking shoes, Senior Services of Island County’s third annual Meals On Wheels Walkathon is this weekend.

The event is 10 a.m. Saturday, May 21 at Greenbank Farm, and will include a 5K and a one-mile walk. Courses follow two marked trails, are non-competitive and completely off-road, according to a news release.

Individuals can participate but teams are encouraged.

“Teams create opportunities for people to support each other,” said Lynae Slinden, center director in Bayview. “It’s fun when you’re participating as a group and you can help each other increase donations through pledges from family members, friends and co-workers.”

The walkathon is an essential fundraiser for the Meals on Wheels program, which provides meals to isolated, home-bound seniors. Volunteers donated more than 11,000 hours and drove more than 26,000 miles to deliver 33,040 meals to program dependents.

Slinden said that organizers have increased the fundraising goal to $15,000.

But the event is more than a simple fundraiser, according to Debbie Metz, nutrition director at the senior center.

“It helps fill the gap in funding, but it is also a community gathering,” she said. “We bring people together from all the Senior Services Centers in the county, staff and volunteers, and other community members who support the cause. And it also promotes health and physical activity in the community.”

Participants must fill out a registration form which is published in the current edition of the Senior Services Guide and can be obtained at any of Senior Service Centers on the island, or at a variety of locations around South Whidbey, including the libraries and chambers of commerce. Team packets may be picked up at the Bayview Center. Registration is $20 per person.

Participants may register the day of the event itself, beginning at 9 a.m., but preregistration is recommended.