Broderick hitting road to fight hunger

LYNN – Lynn resident Dan Broderick will lace up his sneakers Sunday and hit the road for hunger.”I walk for three reasons,” he said.The company he works for will match whatever he raises, he views it as a personal challenge, and “I’ve got a few years on and I can do it so I get to razz my friends who don’t,” he said.Broderick works for Bristol Meyers Squibb and Project Bread, which sponsors the walk, is one of the charities it supports, he said. That bit of knowledge made his decision to walk easier, he added.”I’m also a daily walker,” he said. “I walk three to five miles a day and I wanted to do something besides just walk.”Broderick said he doesn’t question the need to raise funds for hunger.”There is certainly a need and certainly in Lynn the need is huge,” he said.This is his second year participating in the event that brings out more than 42,000 walkers and 2,000 volunteers, he said. The 20-mile stroll on the first Sunday in May has been a Boston tradition since 1969. It has also become the country’s oldest continual pledge walk and the largest one-day fundraiser to alleviate local hunger.Last year Broderick called it a day after 15 miles but he said he plans to go above and beyond this year although he stopped short at vowing to do the whole 20.”Last year I walked alone,” he said. “This year I want to do 15-plus (miles).”And he has hooked up with a group of walkers that he thinks will make the difference.Even if he doesn’t make it the entire route, which starts on the Boston Commons and winds through Boston, Brookline, Newton, Watertown and Cambridge, and ends back at the Boston Common, he still views that day as a chance to do some good.”I just hope it’s a nice day,” he said. “Sixty degrees with some sun, that would be perfect.”For more information on the walk, to donate or register to walk check out www.projectbread.org.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].