Man forming local Walk for Hunger team

LYNN – Daniel Broderick is planning to tackle Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger for the third time but this year he is issuing a challenge – to himself.”My challenge is to develop a Team Lynn concept and carry that forward,” he said. “Not just for this year but for years to come.”An avid walker, Broderick decided to take a stab at the annual Walk for Hunger after he saw someone speak about the event. The 20-mile walk has been a May tradition since 1969, making it the oldest continual pledge walk and the largest one-day fundraiser focused on alleviating hunger in the country. The route begins on the Boston Common and winds its way into Brookline, Newton, Watertown and Cambridge.During his first year, Broderick walked alone, among 40,000 other walkers, when the people who were supposed to join him failed to show. Last year he met up with a group he met online a few miles into the walk, but this year he is hoping to start out with newfound friends.”I’ve found that I can do the walk and I can raise money,” he said. “But if I can get more people involved, we can raise more.”Organizers told Broderick there are 290 people from Lynn involved in the walk.”They couldn’t give me their names of course,” he said.However, he is still hoping to make a connection. The goal is to grow the fundraising portion of the event by holding car washes or other creative endeavors.”I want to reach out to folks and combine efforts,” he said. “At least that is the idea I have with Team Lynn.”In the meantime, Broderick has been training for the walk by doing just that, walking, three to five miles a day. He’s also been raising money and has been humbled by the response.”People at work have been very generous,” he said, adding that the company he works for, Bristol-Myers Squibb, also has an employee match program. “So I’ve been able to double my donations from people at work.”Last year he raised about $1,000, and he is hoping to top that this year, particularly if he can grow his team.”Because the need is there,” he said. “It’s really pretty huge.”My Brother’s Table, Catholic Charities North, the Lynn Shelter Association, Lynn Community Health Center and Lynn Public Schools are a few of the organizations supported by Project Bread.This year’s walk will be held May 4. There is a rolling start at the Boston Common between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. You can start there, or at any point along the route and register at any checkpoint. If you want to return early, there are free buses available from each checkpoint to shuttle you back to the Boston Common finish line.Anyone who would like to join Team Lynn or donate can go to Project Bread’s Walk For Hunger website, look to the right and click on the appropriate link, “join a team,” “form a team,” “donate to an individual or team.” Or contact Broderick at [email protected]”I’m in this for the long term,” Broderick said. “I’m interested in building Team Lynn for future years. That’s the plan.”