The event is on Boston Common, on the corner of Beacon St. and Charles St.
Learn how you can support the largest community fundraiser to alleviate hunger in Massachusetts and raise the issue of hunger in our state.
2023 Event HomepageThe Walk for Hunger is a community movement to change the face of food insecurity in Massachusetts. Since 1969, on the first Sunday in May, we—a community of thousands of neighbors from all walks of life—walk together to make a statement about the state of hunger in Massachusetts, and to take a step towards a permanent solution.
Although the 2023 in-person event has taken place, you can still register to fundraise through the summer. Thank you!
as an individual or team. No registration fee.
in support of a participant or team
to support the event
For MA-based orgs. & programs making food more accessible and/or affordable to low-income residents are eligible for 60/40 fundraising team split. Submit the eligibility enrollment form before April 15, 2023
The event is on Boston Common, on the corner of Beacon St. and Charles St.
You can find street parking (meter is free on Sunday) or the closest parking garage is on Boston Common at 0 Charles St.
The closest T stops is red/green Park St. station or green Boylston St station.
If you are coming from the blue line, the closest is Government Center with a 10 minute walk.
You can use 0 Charles St, the parking garage address to put into your navigation for walking directions.
Check in and Day of Registration opens at 8am, where walkers will be given their tshirt, button, and event guide. The Walk starts at 9am and will wrap up around 11am.
We love dogs...but ask you please leave them at home for the safety of your dog and participants. Service dogs are welcome.
As Project Bread's flagship community event and fundraiser, money raised through The Walk for Hunger funds state-wide anti-hunger relief initiatives in Massachusetts. And advocate for policies that make food more accessible for everyone.
Additionally, Walk Teams that represent organizations that have their own community-based anti-hunger programs are eligible to join The Commonwealth fundraising share prorgram. 60% of funds raised by these teams are granted back to their organizations to support their community initiatives.
Yes! Project Bread is thrilled to be hosting an in-person Walk event on Boston Common - on Sunday, May 7, 2023 - for the first time since 2019! The in-person Walk will take the form of a fun-filled 3-mile walk around Boston Common. Check back for more details on what we’ll have in store on the Common this year!!
No! You do not need to join us on Boston Common in order to participate or fundraise. Tere s an option when you register to "Come to the Common" or "Walk Your Own Way". Many people enjoyed this flexibility over the last 3 years and we are looking forward to seeing your creative celebrations of the spirit of The Walk for Hunger.
No problem! Just email us at walk@projectbread.org and let us know, and we can update your registration to "Fundraiser + "Walk Your Own Way".
Nothing will change with your fundraising center and page.
But knowing who and who isn't going to be coming to the Common on May 7 helps us keep an accurate headcount for planning a fun and safe in-person event experience.
No problem! Just email us at walk@projectbread.org and let us know, and we can update your registration to "Fundraiser + Coming to Walk on the Boston Common".
Nothing will change with your fundraising center and page.
But knowing who and who isn't going to be coming to the Common on May 7 helps us keep an accurate headcount for planning a fun and safe in-person event experience.
If you would like to walk for longer distances, the “Walk Your Own Way” participation option is for you!
This new 3-mile iteration of The Walk, with increased accessibility and lower costs, will allow for more funds to be directed to state-wide anti-hunger work. The true mission and spirit of our treasured Massachusetts' tradition of neighbors helping neighbors.
In 1969, The Walk for Hunger was founded on the promise, by the people of Massachusetts, to provide relief to our neighbors struggling with food insecurity. This grassroots movement took to the streets - probably without permits- to raise money for food relief by walking as a community - and it worked!
But a lot has changed over 54 years. You can imagine that the expense of keeping our 20 mile route, and ensuring the safety of our participants, has risen with every passing year.
In order to continue to uphold our promise, The Walk has to adapt, so we can continue to be effective in serving our mission.
There is no registration fee for the 2023 Walk for Hunger. There is no fee to start a fundraiser. There is no fee to attend the event on Boston Common. We do ask that everyone registers, as we need an accurate headcount to create the best experience on Boston Common for participants.
No. There is no fundraising minimum for The Walk for Hunger. We recommend a fundraising goal of $250 for individuals. Raising $500 to join the Heart & Sole Circle, our group of elite fundraisers! As a "Heart & Soler" you'll receive Heart & Sole recognition on your 2023 Walk for Hunger t-shirt and personalized fundraising support from our team.
Over five decades, The Walk for Hunger has generated more than a hundred million dollars - through individual contributions of less than $100 - to fund solutions to hunger in Massachusetts.
The Commonwealth is a fundraising share program that invites Project Bread's anti-hunger partners to leverage The Walk for Hunger to directly raise funds for their own anti-hunger programs!
Massachusetts-based organizations and programs making healthy food more accessible and/or affordable to low-income residents are invited to participate in The Commonwealth.
By forming a single team for The Walk for Hunger to represent your organization or program, teams participating in The Commonwealth will retain 60% of the funds raised by their team, with the remaining 40% of funds raised applied to statewide solutions.
Deadlines for organizations to enroll in The Commonwealth is April 15, 2023. After April 15 enrollment is on a case by case basis, please reach out to kellie_vehlies@projectbread.org if you would like to enroll after April 15.
After eligibility is verified, the team captain will be invited to form their team, before their teammates register and join!
Since its inception in 2019, The Commonwealth has granted $460,000 to anti-hunger programs through their Fundraising Teams for The Walk for Hunger.
2023 Participating Teams
American Red Cross of Massachusetts
Team Page
Bread of Life
Team Page
Brookline Food Pantry
Team Page
Centre For Food Justice
Team Page
Church of the Covenant Food Pantry
Team Page
Everett Community Growers
Team Page
First Congregational Church of Revere Food Pantry
Team Page
Food for Free
Team page
Harvard Square Churches Meal Program
Team page
Healthy Students Healthy Saugus
Team Page
JF&CS Family Table
Team page
Merrimack Valley YMCA
Team Page
Neighborhood Food Action Collaborative (NFAC)
Team Page
Newton Food Pantry
Team Page
The Paulist Center: Home of the Wednesday Night Supper Club
Team Page
People Helping People
Team page
PHA Thrive
Team page
Rose's Bounty
Team page
Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services
Team Page
Sudbury Community Food Pantry
Team page
Team MANNA
Team page
Waltham Fields Community Farm
Team page
Watertown Food Pantry
Team Page
YMCA of Greater Boston
Team Page
YMCA Southcoast
Team page
Resources, tools, and ideas to help participants and teams recruit and fundraise!
Once registered, every participant will receive a confirmation email with a username and password to login to their Participant Center. This is where participants manage their event experience. From a Participant Center, participants tell a story to inspire others to donate, send email messages to recruit team members and solicit funds from family and friends, and track progress toward a fundraising goal!
If you are a Team Captain, you will also have a "Team" tab in your participant center to manage your roster, team fundraising goal, and team fundraising progress.
Full color - best shared digitally - poster/flyer - 8.5x11"
Full-color flyer, best shared digitally
White background to be printed at home
Help promote The Walk for Hunger and raise money for your fundraiser
Use this toolkit to fundraise and recruit members for your Commonwealth Team.
Help promote The Walk for Hunger and our commitment to ending hunger in MA!
Use these resources to keep track of cash or check gifts.
Do you mail in checks or donations? Make sure to include a Tally Card in the envelope so we can credit you - or your team - for your fundraising!
Prefer to fundraise offline? Print this donation or pledge tracker to keep track of your donors and fundraising total.
Get inspiration with these fundraising ideas that anyone can use!
On a team with your coworkers? Here are fundraising ideas for you!
Fundraising ideas for you and your classmates!
“Having enough food is a basic human right, and Project Bread's Walk for Hunger is one of the most important causes that I support.”
Heart & Sole Fundraiser and 29-year Walker, 2019 Walk for Hunger
For generations, The Walk for Hunger has been the achievement not of individuals or particular groups, but of an entire community.
Get updatesIn 1969, Patrick Hughes had an idea; The Walk for Hunger. He put his revolutionary idea into action, to catalyze five decades of social justice, grassroots activism, and anti-hunger impact in Massachusetts.
A group of activists from the Paulist Center in downtown Boston, led by Patrick Hughes, established the very first pledge walk in the country. An estimated 2,000 people walked an astounding 29.6 mile trek through Quincy, raising $26,000 to help fund two hunger projects. The Walk had two purposes: raise funds to help people experiencing hunger and stand together for social justice and social change that would eventually eliminate hunger. This is still true today and continues to be an annual force for change.
After the success of the first Walk for Hunger, Patrick moves the event to Boston, where it has stayed for five decades. 2,000 concerned citizens once again come together and walk 25 miles, a slightly shorter route.
The Walk for Hunger route is reduced from 25 miles to 20 miles—the same distance it is today. About 1,000 people complete the new route that takes them from Government Center through the South End, South Boston, Beacon Hill, and Allston, and finishes at the Boston Common.
With nearly 10% of people in Massachusetts living below the poverty line, hunger persists in the Commonwealth. Nearly 3,000 people participate in the 10th Anniversary of The Walk for Hunger and help raise much needed funds, grants were awarded to 34 emergency food programs.
The first time The Walk for Hunger raised $1 million! 11,000 people participated to help feed hungry families in Massachusetts, including, then Senator, John Kerry.
Despite a strong economy, hunger was continuing to rise in Massachusetts. Concerned citizens in the Bay State filled Boston Common to participate, raising $3 million to support more than 350 emergency food programs.
An estimated 30,000 people came together on Boston Common for The Walk for Hunger, the first large-scale public event in Boston since the Marathon bombing. Our resliant community came together, showing strength and heart, raising $3.1 million to fight hunger.
The Walk was less than a month away when the state shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic reaching Massachusetts. For the first time ever, The Walk for Hunger occurred virtually. Despite not being together, 1,700 participants raised $1.3 million, funds that were instrumental in enabling Project Bread to rapidly respond to the COVID-19 hunger crisis in the early days of closures and layoffs.
The Walk for Hunger celebrated its 52nd year virtually for the 2nd year due to health concerns of the pandemic. That didn't stop 1,545 participants and 241 teams from raising $1.3 million for COVID-19 hunger relief, many walking in their "pods" on the first Sunday in May, across the state—and across the country.
After being virtual since 2019, Massachusetts' iconic community event returned to Boston! The in-person event took the form of a 3-mile walk around Boston Common. This new route increased accessibility and lowered costs, allowing for more people of different abilities and age to participate and more funds to be directed to state-wide anti-hunger work.