HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - One local nonprofit started a walk from Springfield to Greenfield to raise hunger awareness in western Massachusetts. Springfield honors Native American’s with flag raising event The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts started its walk from Springfield to Greenfield this Monday morning to fight hunger during the holidays. The first leg of the journey took walkers to Northampton, making stops at food donation centers along the way. Congressman Jim McGovern was one of the walkers. He told 22News how hunger plays a large role in many parts of our community. "Hunger is costly. If you're not eating you can't learn in school. If you don't have access to food, you're less productive in the workforce. If you're not eating and you're an elderly person taking your medication on an empty stomach, you're in the emergency room. So you know this is costly. Our inaction is costly," said McGovern. This walk is looking to raise half a million dollars to provide 1.5 million meals to Western Massachusetts. One of the main supporters of this initiative is Monte Belmonte, a radio host with New England Public Media. Dressed up as Glinda from the movie Wicked, he said his costumes are only a small portion of this walk's significant impact. "It's become something that's grown beyond my wildest expectations, to not only raise so much money for people in need, but creating like community bonds, building community, and I think more than ever that's something we're really going to need to lean into," said Belmonte. The second leg will start in Northampton at 6 am and end in downtown Greenfield. For information on how to donate, click here. Local News Headlines Town of Agawam rescinds open burning ban City of Westfield to hold annual tree lighting at new location Southampton man found not guilty of 2022 manslaughter National Cake Day: Where to get the best cake in western Massachusetts WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.