(L to R) Somerville resident Lynn Geltman and Mary Walling.

Residents continue to nourish food programs through The Walk for Hunger

Somerville was once again named one of the top ten “most generous cities” by Project Bread – The Walk for Hunger, the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, for its contribution of almost 500 Walkers and nearly $80,000 to fight hunger through the 2011 Walk for Hunger. The total raised by 40,000 Walkers was $3.6 million with funds distributed throughout the state.

The money raised through The Walk for Hunger allows Project Bread to fund hunger relief and prevention through over 450 emergency programs, schools, summer food programs, community health centers, farmers’ markets, community suppers, home care organizations, and other programs. Project Bread–funded agencies in Somerville include the Somerville Homeless Coalition and Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services.

Somerville resident Lynn Geltman has raised over $40,000 in 22 years as a Walk for Hunger participant. She is proud to be a Heart & Sole Walker since 1997, meaning she is someone who raises more than $500 each Walk. One of Geltman’s fondest Walk for Hunger memories is of stopping at a checkpoint after walking 10 miles and, just as she was thinking that she was too tired to finish, seeing her doctor doing the Walk. “I asked him if I should do the next ten and he said ‘go for it,’ so I did…,” she recalls.

This year, Project Bread hopes to raise even more funds at the 44th Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 6th. “The need is greater than ever and this year, every dollar, every mile, and every volunteer hour counts,” says Ellen Parker, Executive Director of Project Bread. “We urge our Walkers to understand that no contribution is too small. The magic of the Walk is that each and every contribution adds up to a significant amount of help for people struggling throughout the year ahead.”

Other cities and towns that placed on the top ten Walk most generous list, in rank order: 1) Boston, 2) Newton, 3) Cambridge, 4) Brookline, 5) Somerville, 6) Arlington, 7) Wellesley, 8) Belmont, 9) Watertown and 10) Quincy.

There’s still time to register and donate to The Walk for Hunger, visit www.projectbread.org/walk, or call 617-723-5000.

About Project Bread
As the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, Project Bread is dedicated to alleviating, preventing, and ultimately ending hunger in Massachusetts. Through The Walk for Hunger, the oldest continual pledge walk in the country, Project Bread provides millions of dollars each year in privately donated funds to support hunger relief through emergency programs, schools, summer food programs, community health centers, farmers’ markets, community suppers, home care organizations, and other programs that protect the individual and strengthen our community food security. The Walk’s flagship sponsor is Freihofer’s Baking Company; its participating sponsors include Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, and Raytheon Company. For more information, visit http://www.projectbread.org/, www.facebook.com/projectbread, or www.twitter.com/walkforhunger.