Boston Area Gleaners Laces Up for Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger

ACTON, Mass. – On May 1, Boston Area Gleaners will be among thousands of virtual participants to lace up for Project Bread’s 54th annual Walk for Hunger. For the fourth consecutive year, the Acton-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, Project Bread awarded $9,997 in grants to Boston Area Cleaners.

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 Boston Area Gleaners, that are helping residents to access food now and 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.

Boston Area Gleaners builds innovative partnerships with local organizations and businesses in order to bridge food distribution gaps, improve healthy food access, prevent on-farm food waste, and create new markets for locally grown produce. With the help of volunteers, the Gleaners harvest and pack food donated from local farms for communities across the region. Through its distribution program, the organization delivers fresh food to a network of local food pantries, food banks, and meal programs, and provides trucking support to partners and farms in need of resources. Through the nonprofit’s Boston Food Hub program, a wholesale market for local produce, the organization provides income opportunities for farmers, healthy food access for low-income communities, and a much-needed farm-to-institution supply line for large scale institutions. With funds raised through the Commonwealth Program, Boston Area Gleaners will continue to expand its reach. Since their founding in 2004, they increased their food distribution from 8,240 pounds per harvest season to more than 8 million pounds per year, a 1,000-fold increase.

“Boston Area Gleaners is committed to supporting an equitable, just, and sustainable local food system and just like Project Bread, we feel strongly about promoting reliable food access for all Massachusetts residents,” says Usha Thakrar, Boston Area Gleaners Executive Director. “Year after year, it’s an honor to partner with Project Bread to ensure our communities have enough to eat.”

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 Boston Area Gleaners

Boston Area Gleaners is committed to supporting an equitable, just, and sustainable local food system. The Gleaners fulfill their mission by building innovative partnerships with local organizations and businesses in order to bridge food distribution gaps, improve healthy food access, prevent on-farm food waste, and create new markets for locally grown produce. Their vision is to sustain a permanent agricultural supply chain that will improve the viability of local farms and the health of communities who have historically suffered from inequity in the food system.

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