Matthew Gregg of Nashua was named Granite Stater of the Month by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan after running the 230-mile length of New Hampshire to bolster awareness about food shortages. Courtesy photo

NASHUA – After running the 230-mile length of New Hampshire to bolster awareness about food shortages, Matthew Gregg of Nashua was honored as October’s Granite Stater of the Month by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH).

“I share this award with the food advocates over at the New Hampshire Food Access Coalition, New Hampshire Hunger Solutions and the thousands of volunteers who are working tirelessly to end hunger in New Hampshire, especially amongst kids,” said Gregg. “I also want to highlight White Mountains Community College for making food free for all students so they can focus on their studies. It’s refreshing to see a school who treats food insecurity as importantly as some colleges treat sports programs.”

Gregg is now calling upon state legislators to make a long-term commitment to ending hunger in the Granite State.

“My wife, Alicia, has linked other issues to hunger in the state, such as crime rate and drug use,” he said. “If you care about solving some of these problems at the source, you have to care about increasing hunger as part of the problem. This is becoming a big challenge and I think we can solve it with a little bit of curiosity and a lot of empathy.”

The run itself began on Oct. 3 at Greeley Park where Gregg was cheered on by more than 100 students from Mt. Pleasant Elementary School. His journey concluded 11 days later in the state’s northernmost town of Pittsburg.

Gregg began running in 2011 and has competed in more than 50 Tough Mudder competitions as well as the Boston and San Francisco marathons. He also ran across the country in 2018 to benefit the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. During the past 10 years, he has raised more than $600,000 for charity.

“Matty’s dedication to ending hunger in our state is a true example of the New Hampshire spirit of taking action to address issues affecting our communities,” said Hassan. “His creativity and willingness to, literally, go the extra mile to help more people get the food that they need is why I am proud to name him Granite Stater of the Month.”

Hassan launched the Granite Stater of the Month initiative in 2017 to recognize outstanding New Hampshire residents who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and strengthen their communities.

Prior award recipients include Andrew Morin of Nashua, Tyler Blanchette of Hudson, Kendra Smith of Nashua and Elizabeth McKinney of Londonderry.