Cathedral Church of St. Paul Walks in Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger

BOSTON, Mass. – On May 1, the Cathedral Church of St. Paul will be among thousands of virtual participants to lace up for Project Bread’s 54th annual Walk for Hunger. For the third year, the Boston-based nonprofit will participate in the event through The Commonwealth Program which gives 60 percent of all funds raised by teams from likeminded organizations and agencies back to support their own hunger relief programs, with the remaining 40 percent applied to the statewide anti-hunger effort. To date, the Cathedral Church of St. Paul has raised over $1,600 through the Commonwealth Program.

Historically, the Walk for Hunger, the nation’s oldest continual pledge walk, takes place the first Sunday of May on the Boston Common. The 2022 fundraiser will be the third event to be done virtually and is expected to raise more than $1 million to support Project Bread’s work to increase food access for people of all ages in Massachusetts.

“Currently, 1 in 5 Massachusetts households with children is struggling without enough to eat and that number jumps dramatically for Black, brown, and immigrant households,” says Erin McAleer, Project Bread CEO. “Participating in the Walk for Hunger is one way in which residents can take action to fund school and community meal sites and Massachusetts’ only statewide hotline that connects residents with a range of food resources, including SNAP assistance. We can drive community change together.”

Money raised through the Walk is funding Project Bread’s work to ensure kids have reliable access to food, directly helping individuals and families, and advocating at the state and federal levels for expedited and efficient relief for those in need. Walk funds are also supporting community organizations, like the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, that are helping residents to access food now and grants to ensure communities have the resources necessary to sustain and grow local anti-hunger programs. In 2021, 28 nonprofits participated in The Commonwealth Program and raised more than $165,000 to support their own work.

The MANNA community at the Cathedral of St. Paul is a ministry of and with people experiencing homelessness in downtown Boston. The group gathers weekly to pray and worship together and provide services through the organization’s Monday Lunch Program, Black Seed Writers Group, and meditation group. MANNA serves 50 to 75 adults, ranging in age from 22 to 70, from all faiths, no faiths, cultures, backgrounds and gender identities, daily three days a week. Through the Walk for Hunger, MANNA aims to raise $1,000 to purchase food to supplement donations for breakfasts and lunches and pay skilled pastoral care givers to meet the social, emotional and health needs of the homeless community. During the virtual event, a team of up to 25 walkers will complete a 2-mile loop beginning at St. Paul’s Cathedral, down Beacon Street, before heading across Arthur Fiedler Bridge to the Hatch Shell and back. An ice cream social hosted by congregation members will follow.

“At the height of the pandemic when all the local food programs shut their doors, we understood we could not do that, rather, we had to figure out how to feed people safely, overnight,” says Rev. Jennifer McCracken, Head Pastor of the MANNA Community at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. “We made substantial changes to our food program, increased from one meal a week, to five, and delivered it safely. We learned a lot during that time and some things we’ve retained, and some we’ve let go of. The Walk for Hunger is one of the most important events of the year for our community. Project Bread feeds people every day in massive numbers. What’s more important than that?”

This year’s event will include virtual programming with McAleer, elected officials, as well as walkers and volunteers posting and sharing their experiences along their neighborhood routes and why they are walking to help end hunger. Families with kids, individuals and teams of corporate employees are encouraged to find creative ways to connect virtually and fundraise together.

To register for the event and create a personal or team fundraising page for The Walk for Hunger or to make a donation, visit projectbread.org/walk or call (617) 723-5000.There is no registration fee or fundraising minimum to participate. Participants who raise $500 or more are recognized as Heart & Sole walkers, and receive access to personalized fundraising support, exclusive event gear, and invitations to events.

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 is the leading statewide anti-hunger organization in Massachusetts. Beginning in 1969 with the first Walk for Hunger, the nonprofit focuses on driving systemic change to ensure people of all ages have reliable access to healthy food. Project Bread works collaboratively across sectors to create innovative solutions to end hunger and improve lives across the Commonwealth. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.

About the MANNA Community at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul

MANNA (Many Angels Needed Now and Always) is a ministry of and with the homeless community in downtown Boston. Through MANNA, we seek not only to welcome folks across differences of class, wealth, culture, race and mental ability, but also to empower all people to claim their place as essential members of our community. We all have gifts to give and to receive. We need each other. And this is why we gather each week to serve, to pray, and to create together. Our Cathedral is a house of a prayer for all. We are the Episcopal Cathedral in the Diocese of Massachusetts, located in the heart of Boston. We welcome everyone to join our vibrant community. We are home to a diverse array of parishioners and community members including our regular Sunday congregation; the Episcopal Chinese Congregation; our emerging church community, The Crossing; our community of those who are homeless and in transition; and a Muslim community who gathers for Jum’ah Friday Prayers.

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