Project Bread held its 48th annual Walk for Hunger Sunday, raising money to help those in Massachusetts that are struggling with hunger.
Sunday was also the inaugural year of the newly added 5K run.
Since its inception in 1969, the walk has generated more than $100 million through individual contributions of less than $100, a powerful demonstration of neighbors caring for neighbors. The Walk for Hunger is the oldest continual pledge walk in the country and the largest annual one-day fundraiser to alleviate local hunger.
Despite Sunday’s cold and rainy weather, thousands of people took part in walking the 10-mile course through Boston. The walk raises around $3 million each year, which is donated to food pantries, shelters and other community food programs throughout Massachusetts.
More than 250,000 households in Massachusetts are food insecure, meaning they can’t reliably predict where there next meal is coming from. Today, more than 400,000 children in Massachusetts qualify for free or reduced price school meals, meaning they count on their school lunch to be nutritious meal they can depend on.
In an average year, Project Bread’s food source hotline receives more than 30,000 calls from individuals looking for assistance.
For more than 30 years, 7News has sponsored the Walk for Hunger. Members of the 7News team attended Sunday’s walk, where they greeted participants and took part in cooking demonstrations. Other members of the 7News team took part in the walk and the 5K.
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