While pushing a shopping cart, WRSI The River radio personality Christopher “Monte” Belmonte of Montague walked into Sunderland around noon on Tuesday speaking into his microphone about his annual march for hunger.
Despite snow, rain and cold temperatures, dozens of people walked with him from Springfield to Greenfield on Monday and Tuesday to raise awareness about food insecurity and fundraise for The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
Belmonte marched for those two days, urging listeners on the air to call in with donations to the food bank — as usual, dressed in a costume.
This year he was a pirate and an alien, but despite the “silliness and weirdness,” Belmonte said the event has turned into “something inspiring for me.”
“It warms my heart,” Belmonte said. “When you hear the stories of people at the Survivor Center in Amherst and marchers go and see how it works and meet with the people who need that food to survive, it grounds people.”
On Tuesday morning at 6 a.m., the march moved from Hampshire to Franklin County, some joining along the way and others departing after a certain point, or staying for the duration of the march. Many of the marchers said they were motivated to participate because of Belmonte.
One of those people was Congressman Jim McGovern, who was celebrating a birthday on Tuesday — and walked the entire 43 miles.
The 2nd Congressional District House member who serves much of Franklin County, regularly advocates for the hungry in Congress, fighting for programs like SNAP food stamp benefits.
“It’s a good cause and we all have a role to play,” McGovern said. “Even though it’s rainy and snowy, the discomfort we’re feeling is nothing compared to the feeling of hunger felt by food insure families in Western Mass. I’m also a great admirer of Monte himself.”
Chris Wojcik, marketing and communication manager for The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, marched, as well.
“Not only are we able to tell stories about the march, but also those of the people that use the food bank,” Wojcik said. “We’re here for those that can’t march to show them what it’s all about, what it’s like, that despite the snow and rain there are people here. You can see the togetherness and the support of Monte and support for the community.”
He also wanted to remind people that although people are feeling more generous during the holiday season — the time when the bank needs food the most is in the summer when many children don’t have the ability to get food through school.
Sen.-elect Jo Comerford, recently elected for the Hampshire-Franklin-Worcester County Senate District, said it was a privilege to meet Belmonte’s “call to action.”
“I used to work as the director of programs for the food bank, and we worked to get food to hands of the hungry,” Comerford said. “We tried to work ourselves out of a job every day trying to end food insecurity, so this is something I have supported historically and we need to take up chronic food insecurity at the federal level.”
Since Monte’s March began in 2010, the event has raised nearly $883,000 for the food bank, providing approximately 2.6 million meals to neighbors in need. The food bank provides much of the food regional soup kitchens and local food pantries rely on. Belmonte said he hopes to break $1 million this year.