Making his way from Springfield to Greenfield during his annual walk to raise money for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, local radio personality Christopher “Monte” Belmonte looks to increase the visibility of one of the country’s greatest issues. If you’ve seen him in action, you’ve probably learned that this can get quite literal.

Aside from amassing a crowd often dozens strong to march by his side, Belmonte makes the 43-mile voyage while pushing a shopping cart and wearing an outlandish costume. Over the past 14 years, he’s trekked as characters ranging from Barbie to stunt performer Evel Knievel.

“The idea is that it’s a grand, weird spectacle,” Belmonte said.

Such is life, at least for Belmonte. The Turners Falls resident, who launched the fundraiser in 2010 while working at WRSI 93.9 The River, explained that he’s always dressed extravagantly, so going all-out for special occasions has become the norm for him. Later into his years of activism, though, a community member helped him realize that dressing up isn’t all silliness, but can be a legitimate awareness tactic.

“I used to always call it a ridiculous publicity stunt, but there’s a woman who lives in Mason Square in Springfield named Liz O’Gilvie, who is like my hero, who is working on hunger issues day in and day out,” he said. “We were together at the White House Conference on Hunger and she’s like, ‘Stop calling it a ridiculous publicity stunt.’ She’s like, ‘This is a legitimately good thing.’”

Belmonte has been further encouraged by Kathryn Greenwood Swanson, owner of Swanson’s Fabrics in Turners Falls. Greenwood Swanson, assisted by her mother and retired costume designer Emilie Long as well as Buckingham Rabbits Vintage owner Alex McGuigan, has been custom-making Belmonte’s costumes since 2020. She expressed that the concepts of food and clothing are “a really good marriage” when considering similarities between related issues, with both resources widely needed due to inaccessibility, rather than scarcity.

“It’s all essential human necessity from the day you’re born until the day you die,” reasoned Greenwood Swanson, whose business is centered on teaching people how to make their own textile goods. “When the opportunity came up to hitch my cart to Monte’s horse, I thought, ‘What a great opportunity to just really put on a display for the community that it’s possible to make [your own clothing].”

“It’s education as much as a fundraiser, hopefully,” Belmonte said of his march, which took on the new moniker of March for the Food Bank with Monte Belmonte last year after formerly being known as Monte’s March.

Belmonte said his costumes have been particularly memorable for local children. He noted he often re-wears costumes from past marches when he speaks at schools.

The best reception he’s ever gotten, however, was during his 2022 march when he passed through Amherst and met a group of screaming schoolchildren asking for autographs.

“Monte, I always think of you as a court jester-type,” Greenwood Swanson told Belmonte, sitting across from him at Swanson’s Fabrics. Mentioning Belmonte’s favorite costume — and the one that Greenwood Swanson said was the hardest to make — she added, “With Elvis, you were like the Fool King. You put on these performances that delight people ...”

She added that his costumes are sometimes also direct social commentaries when the time is right. In 2021, for example, he was inspired by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Met Gala outfit and wore a costume bearing the phrases, “Tax the Rich” and “End Hunger Now.”

“It’s very exciting for us to be a part of something so inspiring for so many people,” Greenwood Swanson said of Belmonte’s tradition.

For this year’s march, spanning two days, Belmonte plans to dress up as both Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West from the movie “Wicked.” He feels something light-hearted might be appreciated this year.

The March for the Food Bank with Monte Belmonte, now in its 15th year, will take place on Monday, Nov. 25, and Tuesday, Nov. 26. This year’s fundraising goal is $500,000, with more than $43,000 already raised as of Thursday morning. Reaching the $500,000 goal would provide the equivalent of 1.5 million meals to the community and would also bring the cumulative 15-year donation total past $4 million, with $3.71 million raised in the first 14 years.

To learn more about the march or to make a donation, visit tinyurl.com/FoodBankMarch.