Walk for Hunger raises $3.6 million, Foxborough Member of Hall of Fame

42,000 people came to the Boston Common to raise millions for their hungry neighbors during Project Bread’s annual Walk for Hunger today, May 1. Organizers were heartened that the Walkers and their sponsors raised $3.6 million to provide food for 448 emergency food programs in 130 Massachusetts cities and towns. These funds will provide a hot meal or a bag of groceries for hungry families next winter.

The town of Foxborough has been named to Project Bread’s Fundraising Hall of Fame along with the towns of Scituate, Norfolk, Dover, Norton, Carlisle, South Weymouth, Concord, and Gardner.

Organizers attribute their continued strength to their use of online fundraising as well as social media. “When so many people are strapped, it’s encouraging to see so many Walkers and Volunteers show their support for those struggling to put food on the table,” said Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread – The Walk for Hunger. “They used our online tools, including our new Facebook application, and raised funds from 49 states as well as 14 foreign countries. Through our Facebook application alone, they brought in an additional $70,000 through 2,000 social media donations.”

As the economic crisis continues, more and more families are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Project Bread estimates that more than 660,000 people in the state are struggling to put food on the table. The continued high rate of unemployment and expiration of benefits have forced many people to seek food relief for the first time. Last year, Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline, the only comprehensive hunger resource in Massachusetts, answered 47,000 calls from people in need.

These emergency food programs served over 57 million emergency meals last year to people who had no other place to go. Since 1969, the Walk for Hunger has spurred 1,080,800 Walkers to tread 21,165,800 miles and raise over $81.4 million to help hungry people.

“This Walk has been one of the most gratifying we’ve held,” says Parker. “Being able to do this well in a down economy shows the commitment of our Walkers and Volunteers to help those in need,” continued Parker. “But I urge everyone to collect all the pledge money from their sponsors, and to ask about corporate matches. In times like these, we can’t allow any available money to be left on the table. Also, we ask everyone who decided not to walk to make a donation. We thank our corporate and media sponsors for stepping up their support in our hour of need and our Walkers, Volunteers, and donors for their commitment.”