A group of Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES)staff and volunteers has been walking this April to benefit Meals on Wheels through the Project Bread Walk for Hunger.
The team has already met its initial fundraising goal of $1,000, but is hoping to finish strong and really make an impact over the next couple of weeks, said team captain Nathan Lamb.
“This is the first time in a few years that SCES participated, so we wanted to pick a goal we could realistically meet,” said Lamb. “While it’s great to meet that initial goal, we’re keeping after it to see how much good we can do in the next few weeks for this great cause.”
As a local non-profit that supports food security, SCES Meals on Wheels will receive 60 cents of every dollar raised by the team. The other 40 cents go toward Project Bread’s relief efforts.
The virtual walk has coincided with a spring fitness challenge at the agency, where staffers pick a goal for the month and post it on a billboard near the lunchroom. At the end of the month, staffers who meet their goals are entered into a gift card drawing.
Several of the people doing the fitness challenge are also on Team SCES. Team Captain Nathan Lamb has set the goal of running 100 miles by May 1, and his efforts were recently highlighted in his hometown news.
The other members of Team SCES are: Rachel Berry, Giovannie Bertrand, Ainsley Broderick, Annie Fowler, Courtney Johnson, Colleen Morrissey, Michael Mosbach, Lindsey Smilack, and Julie Torsney.
SCES Meals on Wheels has a direct impact on food security in Cambridge and Somerville. In a recent survey of SCES Meals on Wheels recipients, 72% of respondents said the program provides their main meal of the day. Just under half of respondents said they would have a food shortage without the meals.
Statewide, the pandemic caused food insecurity to skyrocket. Project Bread estimates that 1 in 5 households with children across the Commonwealth are facing hunger right now.
To support Team SCES, visit the Team Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services page at Walk For Hunger page on ProjectBread.org.
