Walk for Hunger
Encyclopedia
Project Bread's Walk for Hunger is the oldest continual pledge walk
in the United States
and the largest annual one-day fundraiser to alleviate local hunger in Massachusetts
.
The Child Nutrition Outreach Program at Project Bread has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote participation the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Breakfast Program, both federally funded programs. Making sure kids don’t go hungry when they're not in school, sites around the state allow low-income children the opportunity for free or reduced priced meals.
According to Project Bread's 2010 status report, 660,000 people in Massachusetts are hungry. Project Bread is trying to eliminate the number of food insecure people with the FoodSource Hotline, where people can find out how to get the help they need. Project Bread has also created an easy website to help residents apply for food stamps.
Boston Red Sox
player Jacoby Ellsbury
came out with "ZinfandEllsbury" Wine in 2010, with proceeds benefitting Project Bread.
The first Walk was held in 1969 by a group of activists from the Paulist Center, led by Patrick Hughes. An estimated 2,000 people walked and raised $26,000 to help fund two hunger projects. At the 2009 Walk for Hunger, 44,000 people came to the Boston Common to raise millions for the hungry. The 20-mile pledge Walk attracted over 1,000 religious organizations, as well as 1,200 corporate teams, 1,200 schools, 2,000 volunteers, and 700 friends and family groups who all came together to help feed hungry people in Massachusetts.
The 20-mile Walk occurs annually on the first Sunday in May and weaves through Boston, Brookline
, Newton
, Watertown
and Cambridge
, and includes entertainment and free snacks along the way. The 43rd annual Walk for Hunger will take place on Sunday, May 1, 2011.
Starting in 2010, the new leadership sponsor for the event is Friehofer's Baking Company.
Volunteers at the Walk help assist Walkers. At each checkpoint, volunteers help check off mile sheets, hand out cold water, assist Walkers by helping them cross the streets safely and motivating the participants.
Walkathon
A walkathon , walking marathon or sponsored walk is a type of community or school fundraiser in which participants raise money by collecting donations or pledges for walking a predetermined distance or course...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the largest annual one-day fundraiser to alleviate local hunger in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Project Bread - The Walk for Hunger
Project Bread is an antihunger organization creating and promoting programs to help end hunger in Massachusetts. With the Chefs in Schools Initiative, the organization is changing school food. The Initiative is a joint effort with Project Bread and the City of Boston to change what kids eat in the school cafeteria. First piloted in the Boston Public Schools, the "Chef in Resident," Chef Kirk Conrad, is now working in Lawrence and Salem School districts.The Child Nutrition Outreach Program at Project Bread has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote participation the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Breakfast Program, both federally funded programs. Making sure kids don’t go hungry when they're not in school, sites around the state allow low-income children the opportunity for free or reduced priced meals.
According to Project Bread's 2010 status report, 660,000 people in Massachusetts are hungry. Project Bread is trying to eliminate the number of food insecure people with the FoodSource Hotline, where people can find out how to get the help they need. Project Bread has also created an easy website to help residents apply for food stamps.
Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
player Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ; born September 11, 1983) is an American professional baseball center fielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball....
came out with "ZinfandEllsbury" Wine in 2010, with proceeds benefitting Project Bread.
History
The 20-mile Walk occurs annually on the first Sunday in May and weaves through Boston, Brookline
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, Newton
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, Watertown
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
and Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, and includes entertainment and free snacks along the way. The 43rd annual Walk for Hunger will take place on Sunday, May 1, 2011.
Starting in 2010, the new leadership sponsor for the event is Friehofer's Baking Company.
Heart & Sole Walkers and Volunteers
Unlike regular Walkers, The Heart & Sole Walkers must raise at least $500 to become part of the Heart & Sole Circle. The group raises more than $1 million to help hungry people annually. These special Walkers are between the ages of 9 and 90. Their help is what makes it possible to raise one third of the money given to help the hungry. Special T-shirts are given to these individuals.Volunteers at the Walk help assist Walkers. At each checkpoint, volunteers help check off mile sheets, hand out cold water, assist Walkers by helping them cross the streets safely and motivating the participants.