Conversations from the Walk For Hunger

May 1, 2016. 35,000 people. 10 miles. Last Sunday was my second year participating in the Walk for Hunger. This annual event, hosted by Project Bread is held around the greater Boston area and unites a large group of people in making a statement about hunger in Massachusetts. [Last year and previous years, the walk has been 20 miles. Due to construction, it has been cut down to 10]. The money raised is dedicated towards purchasing meals for those in need.

Conversations are almost essential to surviving and enjoying a 10 mile walk. The route takes about 4 hours to complete and there is very little time for rest. Blisters. Sore muscles. Fatigue. I push these potential consequences behind because I believe the walk is a great opportunity to form stronger relationships and build meet new acquaintances. Come on, how can you not talk to the person who will be walking besides you for 4 hours?

For four hours, I walked along the Charles River. I watched the sailboats rocking through the petite waves quietly and the runners panting with each step. The sky was an ominous gray with imminent rain. The gloomy mood of the weather did not hinder bright conversations.

After lunch, we commenced rapping. This was no ordinary rapping. We sang raps about our names, relating them to our personalities. We excluded the first letter of our names and thought about how many words we could make with the remaining letters. Then we thought about our talents and hobbies. We inserted the rhyming words producing a single line rhyme. We described our rhymes as a rap because of the strong beat. For example, one girl I was walking with, Grace, said: Hi my name is Grace, and you better watch out ‘cause I’m gonna ace you in a race.

Another interesting topic in our conversation was sicknesses and illnesses. Many kids at school were home sick this year and more than two viruses traveled through the community. I was one unlucky student who received influenza earlier in April. Some of my friends were seldom sick and some [like me] are sick every year. We talked about the sicknesses that our families suffered through, like Mono and the Flu and how we reacted to illness.

I encourage all readers to walk next year! It doesn’t matter whether you finish all ten miles or just 1! Participate, participate, participate! I’m sure you’ll learn something new about a friend or meet some new companions. You will definitely make a statement about hunger even if you don’t raise a bucketful of money. Also, it’s never too late to donate!