Under blue skies and ample sunlight, 94 Phillips Academy students and faculty raised just under 6000 dollars for local soup kitchens and impoverished Boston families in the annual 20 mile Walk for Hunger. The route they took, which makes a loop around Boston, starts and ends at Boston Commons. Andover students and faculty left campus early Sunday morning to join 40,000 other walkers being sponsored to raise money. Assistant Director of Community Service Courtney Stubbs said, “What makes this walk different from other walks is that very few Andover students know someone who is hungry.” She added, “Also, the money that was raised is staying in the Boston area and is not being sent somewhere else like many other walks.” Witnessing a large increase in the number of participants, Ms. Stubbs was exited by this year’s turnout. She said, “In years past, we always had a ton of people sign up, and then on that morning many people decided not to show because it was too early and they were tired. But this year there were only a couple students who did not show up Sunday morning, and so we had a huge turnout.” Admission counselor Stephen Carr was one of the 94 walkers on Sunday who enjoyed a sunny walk in Boston. “I thought that the walk was a good cause, a nice way to get off campus and walk around Boston, said Mr. Carr. He continued, “I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of Andover students that turned out at seven a.m. on a Sunday morning, and those who did it enjoyed the day and felt good about what they had done. It was time well spent on a Sunday.” Understanding that there was an unusually large outcome, Mr. Carr was still upset that more PA students did not partake in the event. “I was a little disappointed that more boys did not participate. I would guess that about 80% of the walkers from Andover were girls and I would hope in the future that more boys would view the walk as something fun and productive to do on a Sunday afternoon,” he said. Nicholas Shea, ’05 walked for hunger to feel the satisfaction of helping others. “It was tough getting up at six on a Sunday morning, but it was a really good cause, and at the end of the day everyone who walked felt a big sense of accomplishment and that they did something they can be proud of,” he said. Nicholas added, “I’d say the best part of the walk was the atmosphere of excitement and common purpose. It was fun to just walk and hang out with my friends and meet other people who were walking as well.” Katherine Hunckler ’05 enjoyed reaching out to the Boston community while having fun. “It was nice that there was such a large turnout and a lot of enthusiastic Andover students who finished the walk,” she said. She continued, “I walked for a good cause with my friends, stopped for ice cream on the way, and just had fun while being off campus Many Andover students will witness the results of their walk to earn money on a personal level, as they volunteer at many of the organizations receiving the money from the walk. “Andover students volunteer at the Bread and Roses soup kitchens about once every two months, and work for the Boston Food Bank also. Most of the money earned at the walk will go to these organizations,” Ms. Stubbs said. According to the organization’s website, www.projectbread.org, groups from churches, other schools, and corporations were among those who walked. The proceeds of the walk will fund around 400 emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, food banks, and food salvage programs throughout Massachusetts. Annually, these 400 groups serve around 36 million meals. Students were required to donate a minimum of $20 dollars for the walk. Most also solicited donations from others. Raising $500 can provide 32 families food for a week, and $100 can provides 200 people with a sandwich and soup at a soup kitchen. This year the 40,000 walker raised over three million dollars, or about 192 thousand families with food for a week.
