Project Bread’s 54^th Walk for Hunger (virtual) Sunday, May 1

On Sunday, May 1, Project Bread’s 54^th Walk for Hunger will raise more than $1 million to help get food assistance to kids and families across the Commonwealth.

The 2022 fundraiser will be the third event to be celebrated virtually, with a Facebook livestream from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and participants walking in their own neighborhoods throughout the day. Money raised through the virtual Walk is funding Project Bread’s urgent mission to ensure kids have reliable access to food, to directly help individuals and families, and to advocate at the state and federal levels for expedited and efficient relief for those in need. Funds will also support community organizations that are helping people access food locally and ensuring communities have the resources necessary to respond to the hunger crisis now and over the long road to recovery ahead. Likeminded organizations that fundraise as part of The Commonwealth program by forming teams can raise money to support their own work, while also furthering the statewide effort, keeping 60 percent of all funds they raise. 

As 1 in 6 households and 1 in 5 households with children in Mass. struggle with food insecurity, Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger, the nation’s oldest continual pledge walk, raises funds to connect people and communities to reliable food source and to advocate for policies that make food more accessible for all. Virtual event participants will walk in their own neighborhoods to raise more than $1 million to ensure residents of all ages across the state have enough to eat. 

Virtual participants will put their own do-it-yourself spin on this year’s event. From local walk routes, to creating virtual walk experiences, to planning relays races, all will be celebrated across Project Bread’s social media on Sunday. Walkers include:

• Erin McAleer, Project Bread CEO, will lead the Facebook livestream and be walking throughout the day with Project Bread staff and other Walkers.

• Robert Leshin, Director of the Office for Food and Nutrition Programs at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and recipient of the Patrick Hughes Award for Social Justice, will join the Facebook Livestream and be walking during the day in Beverly with his synagogue, Team TBA (Temple Bnai Abraham).
• Brittany Mangini, Director of Food Security and Nutrition at the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), will join the Facebook Livestream and be walking during the day in Mansfield with her family and the DTA team.

Sunday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and throughout the day

 In-person

• Boston:

• JAMAICA PLAIN: Clara Obstfeld and Kaveri Sastry will lead a team of Project Bread staff on a 4 to 5 mile walk around the Arnold Arboretum.
• BEACON HILL: Instacart’s Walk for Hunger Team will be jointly walking 331 miles starting at the Museum of Science to represent the 331 MA grocery partnerships accepting EBT/SNAP through their platform.

• West of Boston
  • BURLINGTON: Julie Lewis will lead the People Helping People Commonwealth Team in a 5-mile walk around the Burlington High School track. They hope to raise $5000 to support the relocation and expansion of the Burlington Community Food Pantry.
  • SOMERVILLE: Nathan Lamb will walk around Somerville and Cambridge with the Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services Commonwealth Team of 9 employees. Lamb’s personal goal has been to run 100 miles leading up to the day and raise $1,000 with his coworkers.
  • WALTHAM: Marla Rhodes, Volunteer & Development Coordinator at Waltham Fields Community Farm, will lead a mini-Walk for Hunger on the farm property with the Commonwealth Team.
• North of Boston:

• SWAMPSCOTT: Douglas Flores, Project Bread COO, with Project Bread staff and Reverend Gregory Perez, will lead the St. Stephen’s Food Pantry Commonwealth team, will be walking locally to raise money

• South of Boston:

• MILTON: Catalina Lopez-Ospina, Project Bread’s VP of Engagement, will lead a team on a walk through the Blue Hills Reservation.
• CAPE COD: Steve Leibowitz leads Team Howard’s Heroes with his family, in honor of their late brother and mother, along the Cape Cod Rail Trail. He’s raised over $500 each year as a Heart & Sole Walker and hopes to raise $1000 this year.
• NEW BEDFORD: Ashley Brister, Farm Director at Sharing the Harvest Community Farm, will lead the YMCA Southcoast Commonwealth Team on a walk starting at Apponagansett Park and ending at the Farm. The team’s goal is to raise $20,000 to support the purchase of farm equipment.

This is a virtual event, during which participants will walk in their own neighborhoods.

Access the Facebook Livestream on May 1^st at https://www.facebook.com/projectbread/

Connect:  #WalkforHunger Project Bread on social media: Facebook (@projectbread); Twitter (@projectbread); Instagram (@projectbread).

People experiencing food insecurity should call into Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About Project Bread

Project Bread, the leading statewide anti-hunger nonprofit, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.