Westford Resident Raises Funds for Food Program

Despite being part of a small congregation at her church, Mary Mathew knew she wanted to make as great an impact as possible. 

For the past seven years, she has participated in Project Bread's Walk for Hunger. 

Mathew, community outreach organizer for the Church of South India, decided to take the idea to church members hoping they would join in the walk or donate funds.

So far, she has been successful. 

Mathew, of Westford, began the tradition of walking with her children when they were still in strollers. Now, her two girls walk along beside her. As her family ages, each year they walk a little longer. 

This time, they completed four miles. Each year, the donation amount Mathew raises increases too. For this walk, she raised $725, which was more than her original goal. 

"Our church is small and it doesn't have the resources to conduct something of this magnitude ourselves," Mathew said of the Walk for Hunger. "But we definitely wanted to get out and help the community."

According to a press release from Project Bread, the walk ,which was held in May, garnered $3.6 million worth of donations that will go toward 448 different food programs across Massachusetts. 

Mathew hopes to one day walk the full 20 miles, but for that she will need to wait until her children grow older. 

"That is an absolute goal of mine," Mathew said. "Maybe as they grow up and get bigger it's something they can do with me." 

Liz Duraisingh, a member of the church and Cambridge resident, also participated in the walk. 

Duraisingh said she enjoyed taking part in the community event. 

"We thought it would be a good experience for the kids to raise money for families that don't have food," Duraisingh said. "It was Mary's initiative, so we thought it would be a good thing to do."