It's always interesting to hear stories about why people choose to lend a hand to those in need. 

My Friday afternoon was punctuated by registering runners who will be hitting the pavement Saturday morning for the Tuerk House 5k Run/Walk. Every so often men and women would come into Charm City Run—the Mecca for all Baltimore runners—to sign up for the 5k. 

Tuerk House's mission, according to the organization's website is, "To empower suffering addicts and alcoholics regardless of their financial means to live in abstinence-based recovery, and thus to achieve and to share maximum physical, psychological, social and spiritual health."

But it's so much more than that. 

Patch covered a story about a man who battled his way through drug addiction to become a supervisor of a Tuerk House project to help men get back on their feet by teaching them landscaping these skills.

These projects are just a small part of what Tuerk House does. 

A representative from the non-profit group Back on My Feet registered about a dozen runners. Back of My Feet uses the activity of running to "promote self-sufficiency."