NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – Day two of Monte’s March continues Tuesday morning, it’s an effort to raise awareness, about hunger and collect donations.

This is the 13th consecutive year of this March. When participants finish this second day of walking, they’ll have completed 43 miles. All proceeds will benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Radio personality for 93.9 The River, Monte Belmonte is leading the walk. While making the trek from Springfield to Greenfield. Monte is broadcasting live. He is also pushing a shopping cart, as a metaphor for hunger.

“Food security is something that should be a human right and hunger is something that is a solvable problem and we should be able to figure out as a nation, how to solve it,” said Monte.

People can donate to this cause by calling The Food Bank, which is currently serving over 100,000 people per month. This is an increase of over 5,000 people since this last June. With most pandemic-era government benefits ending, the need has steadily been increasing since January.

The theme of this year’s March is “Making Moves,” to focus on ending hunger, and The Food Bank’s own move to a new, larger facility in Chicopee next year Multiple State lawmakers are participating in the event, including Congressman Jim McGovern.

Tuesday’s 12-hour leg of the march started at the Congressman’s office in Northampton at 6:00 a.m.

“This is the richest country in the world. There are nearly 40 million Americans that don’t know where there next meal is going to come. We all should be ashamed, we all can do something to end hunger. And Monte and this crew are doing something today,” said McGovern.

Congressman McGovern urged the White House to convene for the first conference on Hunger Nutrition and Health in 50 years. During this conference, they laid out an ambitious plan to end hunger by 2030.

The goal is to raise $500,000 for the Food Bank which is this is equivalent to two million meals.

“Folks are really struggling, so the role of the Food Bank is to provide healthy food to 164 food pantry’s and meal sites across all four counties,” said Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

The donation window is still open and you can donate by calling 1-888-323-HOPE.