Bringing Together All Walks of Life

Appeared in Foodsharing Vol. 21, Number 20
February 2007 -April 2007

23rd Anuual Hunger Walk/Run – Sunday, March 11 at Turner Field

It's an Atlanta tradition – thousands attend, including children, adults and seniors who walk, run, and dance during the warm-up exercises. There are games, live entertainment, giveaways, food, beverages, music, and one common goal—to fight The annual Hunger Walk/Run is organized by the Atlanta Community Food Bank and fi ve other benefi ting hunger-relief organizations. Sponsored by Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club, the family friendly event boasts diverse attendance from almost every race, creed, and religion in metro Atlanta, and is still going strong after 23 years! This year’s Hunger Walk/Run will be held at Turner Field on Sunday, March 11. It is expected to be another tremendous success, with organizers hoping for more than 7,000 attendees.

"It's all about having fun and raising money—my job is to make sure both gets done," said Leslie Hamilton, director of the Hunger Walk/Run event. "We’ve been doing this walk for almost a quarter of a century and only two other races in town are older than the Hunger Walk."

The Hunger Walk began as a grassroots movement in response to domestic and international hunger issues in 1984. In 1988 it became a special project of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. During the new millennium the 5K Hunger Run was introduced, and in 2001 the certifified 10K run was added as a Peachtree Road Race Qualifier.

Today, participants begin the walk or race at Turner Field and travel a scenic route throughout downtown Atlanta with live performers supporting them along the way. When asked what makes Hunger Walk/Run different from all the others, Hamilton proclaimed "The entertainment! We have marching bands, drum cores, dancers and singers all along the route."

In 2000, the Food Bank implemented a new policy that allows Atlanta Community Food Bank partner agencies to achieve credit towards receiving food and products for participating in the event. Over the years, the credit incentive has helped boost attendance at the Hunger Walk, as well as bolster the participating organizations’ visibility in the community.