Spotlight on Stacy Walker
Last week, our good friend, Stacy Walker, completed the Boston Marathon®. Not only did she run the iconic 26.2 mile-route, but she raised more than $10,000 for Lovin’ Spoonfuls in the process. That enables our team to rescue more than 30,000 pounds of food, the equivalent of 24,000 meals, for our neighbors in need across Massachusetts!
Get to know Stacy, why she chose to support Spoonfuls, and what it was like running a marathon in the Q&A below.
How did you first learn about Lovin’ Spoonfuls?
I met Ashley [Stanley] sometime in 2011, the year after she founded Lovin’ Spoonfuls. A mutual friend introduced us, and I was so impressed by her and what she was doing with Lovin’ Spoonfuls, that I followed her around for a while trying to convince her we should be friends. It worked. She continues to be one of my closest friends to this day, and it has been an honor to watch Lovin’ Spoonfuls grow.
Why did you choose to run for Spoonfuls? Why is fighting food waste important to you?
The environment and our impact on it have always been important to me. In high school, I was in the environmental club where we campaigned to reduce food waste in our school cafeteria. In college, I majored in “Health and Societies” with a concentration in Public Health. It was then I learned about the health impact of food insecurity, and the incredible disparities in access (financial, geographical, etc.) to healthy food choices. When I first learned about Lovin’ Spoonfuls, the impact on food insecurity was at the forefront of my passion to support its mission. Since then, especially after becoming a parent and thinking about the world I want to leave for my children, I have really grown to appreciate the environmental impact Lovin’ Spoonfuls has. I truly feel Lovin’ Spoonfuls encompasses so much of what I strive to do and be as a human by giving to others and leaving the world a slightly better place than we found it.
Tell us about running. Have you run a marathon before? How was training?
Running is the worst, but I seem to be doing a lot of it these days. I have run one marathon before this, it was at Disney World in January 2020. I wore a sparkly skirt and took pictures with characters. I wouldn’t say I was the best prepared or trained athlete there. I took training more seriously this time around. I found a group of women who were also training for marathons happening the same weekend, some doing virtual Boston and others Chicago. Having company and accountability was huge for me. The heat and humidity of summer weren’t fun, but I still prefer that to training through the winter! Early morning sunrise runs were the key to beating the heat this summer.
What do you do to reduce wasted food at home?
We try to only buy what we know we will be able to use, and we find ways to use leftovers or things that would otherwise get wasted. Our favorite way of doing this is making bone broth after roasting a chicken, which we love turning into soups we can freeze in small batches.
Tell us about the run. How did it feel to run 26.2 miles?
I’m surprised I’m saying this, but it was fun! Don’t get me wrong, it was hard, and I still don’t like running. I am not sure I will be running 20+ miles again soon, but the energy of the crowds along the Boston Marathon course was unreal. I ran a little too fast at the start and started to fade soon after entering Brookline, but the crowd in Kenmore re-energized me. By the time I crossed that finish line, it felt like I was on top of the world. It was such an amazing experience to run Boston. One I will never forget.
A big thank you to Stacy and everyone who contributed to her run for supporting our work. It’s thanks to people like you that Spoonfuls is working to bridge the gap between abundance and need.
Lovin’ Spoonfuls is proud to be an official Partner of John Hancock in the Marathon Non-Profit Program.
Interested in fundraising for Lovin’ Spoonfuls? Click here.