The fourth annual Stuff the Bus Family Fun Run is scheduled for Saturday, allowing families to run under the stars so local children can start the school year on the right foot this fall.

Participants will range from runners to walkers, but all adults and children taking part in the 5K Fun Run will hit the course on the grounds of Chaney’s Dairy Barn, 9191 Nashville Road, at 7:30 p.m.

The event added a special run for kids 13 and under this year – the 1K Kids Glimmer Gallop. The much-requested children’s race will take place after the adult 5K Fun Run in an enclosed area near the property’s cow pasture. Start time for the junior dash is expected to be 8:10 p.m.

Tony Rose, a local radio personality with D93 WDNS-FM and founder of Stuff the Bus, said the event has become a signature run in the area because families can spend an exciting evening with the Stuff the Bus Foundation.

“It means so much to see the community come out as a whole to support our teachers and our children out there,” Rose said. “It brings the community together on a fun night – a night run that’s noncompetitive but a lot of fun, the kids race in there as well. It’s just a great community atmosphere.”

The run will also be an outset extravaganza for the 14th annual Stuff the Bus Drive set to begin next month. The Stuff the Bus Live Event and school supply drive will begin July 27 at Bluegrass Cellular on Campbell Lane.

“The Stuff the Bus Family Fun Run serves as one of our signature kickoff events for collecting funds for our July drive,” said Travis Norton, a Stuff the Bus Foundation member, in a news release.

Rose said Stuff the Bus collected 25 tons of school supplies during its July drive last summer, but the foundation is able to do even more throughout the year thanks to events such as the fun run and other fundraising opportunities.

“We want to be able to give back 12 months a year,” Rose said. “Whether it’s a teacher who needs supplies, a kid who needs new pair of shoes or even a playground that needs repairs, we want to be a conduit for them.”

Adult racers will get a tri-blend shirt that says “DOMINATE” on the front, while kids will get a green, glow-in-the-dark shirt featuring a running cow. Racers will also get a goodie bag, free ice cream at the finish line and the ability to watch the race broadcast on Facebook Live after they’re done.

“We love to partner with the Stuff the Bus Foundation and have this wonderful noncompetitive family run event to help jumpstart another successful Stuff the Bus season,” Christina Caron, a representative of presenting sponsor Bowling Green Athletic Club, said in a news release. “We love what Stuff the Bus stands for and to have an event where families can come out and be physically active together while raising awareness for the needs of children less fortunate makes our involvement a no-brainer.”

Unless participants signed up before May 5, the cost of the 5K Fun Run will be $35 and the cost of the 1K Kids Glimmer Gallop will be $15. A family pack that secures a spot in both races will cost $45. Racers can sign up online until noon Friday, and in-person signups are available at Chaney’s Dairy Barn starting at 6:20 p.m. Saturday.

Rose said all proceeds from the run will go “right back” to children and families in need, as well as classrooms in the community.

To Rose, the night is all about raising awareness for the work Stuff the Bus does in the area.

“The run kind of sets the tone for the direction we want to go in the month of July and for all of our great giving events,” Rose said. “We want to make sure that we raise the funds that we need to have another successful Stuff the Bus season and to make sure that all the kids out there can walk in on the first day of school on a level playing field.”

– For more information about the Stuff the Bus Foundation and the Family Fun Run, visit stuffthebusky.com.

– Daily News reporter Drake Kizer may be reached at dkizer@bgdailynews.com or by calling 270-783-3257.