Interfaith Mini Walk Raises Over $14,000 for Project Bread

On Sunday, Oct. 27, over 75 participants of different faiths united for the 15th annual Interfaith Mini Walk for Hunger. Together, they raised $14,000 and counting to support Project Bread’s year-round efforts for statewide food security and are continuing to accept donations in the coming weeks. The 3-mile family friendly walk started and ended at Temple Beth David in Westwood. As in previous years, people from different faiths from surrounding towns participated. The walkers did not need to be members of a house of worship to participate. Dedham Savings Bank and Wegmans are the long time Gold Sponsors for this local event.

Project Bread is the leading statewide food security organization in Massachusetts. As 1 in 5 households with children across the state struggle with food insecurity, the nonprofit connects people and communities to reliable food sources and advocates for policies that make food more accessible for all. The nonprofit is leading the Make Hunger History Coalition, the first of its kind mobilizing policymakers, community leaders, philanthropists, business leaders, service providers and people with lived experience with food insecurity to transform the Commonwealth landscape, eradicating hunger through policy change, community engagement, and collective action.

“It’s powerful when people come together for a common cause, and Project Bread has always been centered on community-led solutions to ending hunger,” says Jessie Cox, Assistant Director of Individual Giving at Project Bread. “The fundraising from this Walk will go toward ensuring that people from all backgrounds in Massachusetts have reliable access to healthy food.”

During the event, leaders of local houses of faith shared remarks and opened the day with a prayer, including Rabbi Karen Citrin of Temple Beth David, Reverand Dave Egan of First Parish Unitarian Universalist (Medfield), Father Matthew Norwood of St. Joan of Arc (Westwood), Rabbi Natali Hirsch of Temple Beth David, Reverand V. Michael Bousquet of St. John’s Episcopal Church (Westwood), Reverand JT Hills of the First Parish of Westwood, and Reverand Michele Bagby Allan of Frist Congregational Church (Norwood).

Walkers continued their generosity with donations of non-perishable food donations for the Westwood Food Pantry and Trish Tucke from the Westwood Food Pantry addressed the group with her thanks. Rabbi Micah Citrin from Temple Beth David also provided entertainment for the day playing guitar for the attendees.

Money raised from the annual Interfaith Mini Walk for Hunger will fund statewide food security efforts, advocacy for permanent policies that solve hunger, and local partnerships with organizations and people with lived experience with hunger to develop community-driven solutions. Fundraising through the event will continue through the end of the year. Donations can be made online here.

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, the leading statewide anti-hunger nonprofit, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.