Leading a roughly 100-person crowd across a two-day, 43-mile trek from Springfield to Greenfield, NEPM radio host Christopher “Monte” Belmonte raised more than $572,000 to end hunger during the 15th annual March for the Food Bank.

Belmonte, dressed as Elphaba Thropp, the green-faced witch from the musical “Wicked,” led the crowd of poncho-wearing walkers down Amherst Road into Sunderland through cold rain Tuesday morning. By 11:45 a.m., he said $285,000 had already been raised through individual donors and area businesses.

“We’ve been really lucky and had a couple of really good years in a row,” Belmonte, a Turners Falls resident, said of the dreary weather. “We’ve been almost too lucky and we’re paying for it. I may be dressed like the Broadway musical, ‘Wicked,’ but I’m feeling ‘Les Miserables.’”

Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, said previously that if this year’s fundraising goal of $500,000 is met, it will allow the food bank to provide the equivalent of 1.5 million meals to community members in need.

With roughly seven hours left until he ended the two-day march at the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield at 6 p.m., Belmonte said he was optimistic the fundraiser would meet its $500,000 goal.

“I’m confident that we’ll hit that mark, which means that we will have raised enough money for about 1.5 million meals, which is fantastic, but it’s literally the amount of meals that the Food Bank [of Western Massachusetts] is providing in the course of one month. It’s great that we’ll have taken care of folks for that one month, but there’s still a lot more work that needs to be done,” Belmonte said.

“The need is still great and hearing from the people that are running these pantries about how the need is increasing … is discouraging. The weather is discouraging, but if you look at how many people are back there supporting this, even despite the weather, it’s encouraging.”

Morehouse, who served as the food bank’s executive director for roughly 20 years, walked the full 43-mile distance alongside Belmonte and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern.

“We need folks to be aware of the magnitude of our challenge and our impact,” Morehouse said. “We’re overwhelmed by the support that we’re receiving from the community, whether you’re marching today or whether you’re supporting a marcher, or you’re listening to the radio, or you’re just aware that the food bank has a mission to end hunger and concerned about people not knowing where their next meal is coming from.”

Belmonte first pushed an empty shopping cart from Northampton to Greenfield 15 years ago with the goal of raising $5,000 for the food bank. He ended up raising $13,000 that year. Since then, the march has grown in size, goals and distance.

Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School students craft empty shopping carts — which Belmonte described as symbols for hunger — for the marchers to push, usually emblazoned with the march’s iconic blue flames.

As the participants made their way up Greenfield Road (Routes 5 and 10) in Deerfield at around 4 p.m., McGovern said he considers this year’s walk to be a needed display of unity for an important cause during a socially and politically divisive time.

“I’m especially happy to participate in this because I think I speak for a lot of people here. Many of us were deeply disappointed with what happened in the November elections, and I feel it’s especially important that we all commit ourselves to doing something good — raising awareness of hunger in our community, and raising money to combat hunger and food insecurity,” McGovern said.

“There are people marching who are older than me and there are people who are marching that are much younger than me, but we all feel good inside — even though my legs are hurting.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.