Project Bread’s 55th annual Walk for Hunger is just around the corner! This Sunday (5/7), thousands of participants – both in-person and virtual – will hit the pavement for the cause. Back in-person on the Boston Common for the first time since 2019, the one-day fundraising event will raise more than $1 million to support food assistance resources and sustainable policy solutions to end hunger.
Over the past three years, Project Bread has hosted the Walk for Hunger virtually. I recently sat down with Noa Rosen, Project Bread’s events manager, to learn how the team is reimagining this year’s event with a new 3-mile loop, family-friendly engagement activities and more.
AE: Why was it important for Project Bread to transform the Walk back to an in-person experience?
NR: Known as “The People’s Walk,” we really want to bring our community back together to do what we do best – unite to help neighbors in need. Massachusetts is a leader in the anti-hunger space. This year’s event represents a culmination of our fundraising season and a celebration of community efforts during the pandemic to fundraise and walk to solve hunger. Over the past three years, we have held the Walk for Hunger virtually. This year, we have continued to engage remote walkers throughout the months leading up to the event with virtual fundraising tips and ways to connect and build community in their own backyards. On Walk day, our in-person participants will have a reimagined experience while programming will be shared on our social media throughout the day for our remote walkers.
AE: What does this transformation entail?
NR: Our team spent a lot of time figuring out what this new event would look like, and in that process, that’s where my role emerged. We’ve had project and event managers in the past, but for the first time, I took on this role as a full-time, year-round staff member. Since I have started, The Walk has been one of my main focuses, and our team has done a lot of work to connect with longtime walkers, think through what made the day special, what elements are essential to keep in this new Walk and where we have room to grow. We’re really excited about where we have landed with the plan for this year’s Walk for Hunger, and we look forward to hearing feedback on the new format and continuing to improve the event in years to come.
AE: Tell me more about what’s new and different at this year’s reimagined event?
NR: Historically, Project Bread has hosted a 20-mile Walk for Hunger, passing through 5 towns. This year, we’re offering a new 3-mile walk around Boston Common, meaning that our expected 3,000 attendees will all be centrally located for the duration of the event. The 3-mile loop makes this event more accessible for people of all ages and ability levels. By adjusting the scale of the Walk for Hunger, we can contribute a greater amount of the funds raised to our year-round programs and advocacy. There will be many family-friendly activities on the Boston Common. Throughout the event there will be entertainment on the main stage and along the route, photo booths, lawn games, face painting and balloon animals for children, temporary tattoos, giveaways, fresh fruit, food trucks, and more opportunities to take action to end hunger!
AE: Why does an event that started in 1969 still matter?
NR: Funds raised through Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger provide children across Massachusetts with the nutrition they need all year long through free school and summer meals for all, deliver crucial, one-on-one services to connect people unable to afford groceries with resources available to them, and advance permanent change through policy and advocacy that will make Massachusetts a place where everyone can access food with dignity.
As we continue to recover from the pandemic, and experience record inflation and increased costs of basic needs, 1 in 5 Massachusetts households with children is struggling without enough to eat. That number jumps dramatically for Black, brown, and immigrant households. Our community has shown we have the power to create meaningful change. This year it is especially important as many of the nutrition benefits set in place as part of pandemic relief efforts are expiring or at risk of expiring. This includes free school meals, expanded SNAP benefit amounts, an increased number of Summer Eats meal sites and more. Participating in Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger is one way we can all do something real to make sure our neighbors in need can get the food to meet their most basic of needs. Plus, there’s nothing like the camaraderie you experience on Walk Day! It’s a fun event for all ages.
If you’d like to join some of the Teak team members who will be both working and walking at this year’s Walk for Hunger, you can register to participate and fundraise as an individual or team or make a donation at projectbread.org/walk or call (617) 723-5000.
We hope to see some of you there!
