Walk for the Homeless in Great Barrington

Construct, Inc. holds its 14th annual Walk for the Homeless on Sunday, September 29 at 1 p.m. The goal of this year’s event is to raise $35,000. Registration will begin at 12:30 p.m. at Monument Mountain Regional High School, Route 7 in Great Barrington.

Police, fire and EMT Services of South County will be honored; members will serve as Grand Marshals of the Walk. Walkers are volunteers from local schools, congregations, businesses and the general public. Families are encouraged to make this a Sunday afternoon event.

Walkers may elect one of three different distance walks: a 1-mile Recreational Walk, a 3-mile Sunday Stroll, or the 7-mile Super Trek. The walk will go through scenic Stockbridge, loop around the Berkshire Botanical Gardens, pass the Norman Rockwell Museum and finish back in Stockbridge. Light refreshments and relief stations will be available along the route and entertainment will be provided at the start and end points. Rabbi Andrew Klein of Hevreh of Southern Berkshire will offer a blessing at the start of the Walk.

Janet Comalli, Construct board member and her grandchildren, Bryan and Kayla Comalli, are planning a repeat of Janet’s 40-mile, 2-1/2 day walk from Williamstown to the Stockbridge end point. Last year she and Bryan raised more than $4,000 from Walk sponsors.

In 2001 Construct, Inc. served 450 South County households. Lack of affordable housing has created an acute problem for many working families. This year it is anticipated that more than 500 families will be served. Assistance is in the form of emergency, transitional and permanent housing, as well as life skills training for young adults.

Construct, Inc. is a Berkshire United Way and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation member. It is a community based, nonprofit housing support agency and has been a safety net, providing housing assistance since 1970. In the past two years, Construct has added nine units of affordable housing with it most recent project at 140 East St. in Great Barrington. The Walk for the Homeless is Construct’s primary means of raising money from the public in support of households at-risk. For more info call 413-528-1985.