CHIditarod collects thousands of pounds of food for needy

The 14th CHIditarod, Chicago's annual rambunctious, costumed shopping cart race rolled off Saturday.

The course took off from 1550 W. Fulton Market in the West Town neighborhood.

Part competition, part carnival, the CHIditarod is considered the city's largest single day food drive.

This year, more than 100 colorful teams raced decorated shopping carts for a good cause.

Each cart consists of a team of five and contributes at least 69 pounds of food to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, with prizes awarded for the largest food and monetary contributions, as well as the most creative carts.

The CHIditarod is a volunteer driven organization that has raised more than 200,000 pounds of food for Chicago's hungry and more than $190,000 for local nonprofits fighting hunger in the Chicago area.