Why We Race
The HoBOOken5K Halloween Race is Hoboken's largest 5K (and only costumed) race!
The race is organized by staff members and volunteers from The Hoboken Shelter. Originally founded in 2010 by the Elysianettes Running Society, the race has become the Shelter's biggest fundraising event of the year. Proceeds from this race allows the Shelter to continue:
• sleep 50 people each night
• serve 500 meals daily
• host 1,000 showers weekly
The Hoboken Shelter’s mission is to be a community partnership that transforms lives by providing meals for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, & services to support people to become housed.
In 2023, the Shelter helped house 145 guests — moving people from the streets, into the Shelter, then into their own homes at the rate of almost 3 people each week!
To learn more about the Hoboken Shelter and to find ways to get involved, visit their website at The Hoboken Shelter.