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Walking to beat hunger

Facing temperatures as cold as minus 29 C, Calgarian Mark Muench and his seven family members are walking from Calgary to Edmonton with a Grey Cup ball to raise money for food banks across the province.
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Walking into the south end of the city at Gasoline Alley are

Facing temperatures as cold as minus 29 C, Calgarian Mark Muench and his seven family members are walking from Calgary to Edmonton with a Grey Cup ball to raise money for food banks across the province.

Walking along the highway behind a lead car, with one or more people trailing behind, Muench said other vehicles often stop to see if someone has had a fight and can help the situation.

Once they find out the family is raising money for food banks across the province they’ll often give a donation.

The Walk to the Cup group is made up of relatives, with the oldest being Muench’s father at age 76 and the youngest being Muench’s 18-year-old daughter.

The walkers are wearing green and gold out to match the colours of the host city during the walk, but with the family originally being from Saskatchewan, he expects that to change to green for the big game.

Muench said they hope to raise $10,000, plus food, at each of the locations along the way.

The group started in Calgary, leaving from McMahon Stadium on November 19, and plan to be in Edmonton on Wednesday.

They stopped by the Toad ‘N’ Turtle in Red Deer on Sunday, with them heading to Wetaskiwin today.

Randy Fanning, general manager of the Toad ‘N’ Turtle, said the bar normally collects items for the food bank and they thought this was a great cause to get involved in.

It isn’t the first time the Muench family has gotten together for a good cause. In 2000, they walked from Medicine Hat to Calgary to raise money for the United Way.

“It’s been 10 years and I highly doubt we’ll get two Grey Cups this close together again so we thought this would be a good year,” Muench said.

The group puts on multiple layers of clothing each morning, with thermal underwear, a shirt, sweater, shell and coat.

But Muench said as they continue to walk some of the layers come off.

Everyone listens to their iPods to motivate them and Muench said a few will even start dancing along the way.

Alice Kolisnyk, with the Red Deer Food Bank, said anything that helps raise awareness about the food bank is great.

She hoped they might gather several hundred dollars worth of food on Sunday.

“Anything we get today is better than we had yesterday,” Kolisnyk said.

She said the local food bank has had a tremendous jump in clients recently. They have been able to feed everyone and no one has gone home hungry, but she said their stores of food aren’t what they used to be.

She said they could always use dried rice and pasta, canned fruits and meat.

Anyone wishing to drop items or money off to the Red Deer Food Bank can do so at #12 7429 49 Ave.

For more information on the Walk to the Cup fundraiser go to www.walktothecup2010.blogspot.com.

sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com