Monte’s March: The cart that keeps on giving

NORTHAMPTON — Sixteen years ago, Monte Belmonte banged on the door of the Collision Repair Shop at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School. Over the hissing of welding and the grinding of drilling, the department head, Michael Brooks, heard the pounding and welcomed him in.

Belmonte, a longtime radio host who talks so quickly that his words sort of sizzle themselves, made his pitch: He needed a shopping cart he could push from Northampton to Greenfield for Monte’s March, a fundraiser for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Because he’d be marching into the night, the cart had to stand out. Since he would be broadcasting from it, it should move smoothly and quietly. And with miles of pavement stretched out before him, it needed to be well-lit for everyone’s safety.

“I was like, ‘If we’re going to do this, it’s got to be road-ready,’” Belmonte said.

Brooks was dumbfounded. “I go, ‘Who is this crazy deejay? This is ridiculous,’” he said earlier this week. But his voice is full of warmth and he admits he’s getting misty-eyed remembering the beginning.

After working for 28 years at Smith, Brooks recently retired and moved out of state. Belmonte, now the host and executive producer of New England Public Media’s “The Fabulous 413,” credits the teacher for a cart that has rolled 603 miles and raised more than $4 million. To this day, Belmonte still calls him “Mr. Brooks.”

Monte’s March, now called the March for the Food Bank, spans two days and covers 43 miles between Springfield and Greenfield. And this year, a 3-mile “Mini-March” in Pittsfield will kick things off on Saturday, Nov. 22. The main event takes place on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 24-25. The march has set a goal of raising $650,000 this year, and is already 40% of the way there before the event kicks off.

The cart’s start

But back to the beginning — and to the cart at the heart of this story — “Katniss.”

“It was in some ways the most important part of it, as a symbol of hunger and to draw attention to what was going on,” Belmonte said.

Brooks had never considered this unwieldy four-wheeled vehicle, or its apparent potential. To walk his students through why they were foregoing auto repair to trick out a shopping cart, he took them to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, where they learned about the prevalence of food insecurity. Today, the food bank provides the equivalent of 14 million meals per year to local residents.

With the kids all in, Brooks asked the Big Y if they’d donate a starter vehicle. “They said, ‘Take whatever you want,’ and I’d throw it in the truck and go, ‘OK kids, cut this thing up! We’re going to make a custom cart.’”

The name of the cart, “Katniss,” came later, after its success inspired a fleet of four carts named in honor of the “Hunger Games,” a popular movie series about social inequality and senseless starvation.

Before tearing the cart apart, a number of factors were considered. “He doesn’t want any effort to push this thing,” Brooks told his students.

The height had to be just right. The wheels would have to be recalibrated. They needed lights powerful enough for Belmonte to see 20 to 30 feet in front of him in the dark. And the cart had to feature key information, like the march dates, while looking both inimitable and invincible.

For the first march in 2010, his students put bike tires on the back wheels for a smoother ride. The Automotive Technology department placed a car battery inside the cart to power the headlights. Graphic Design and Visual Communication students created informative signs. And the Collison kids painted the sides white, accented by cool blue flames.

There were a few hiccups. The battery was heavy, and Belmonte ended up having to remove it partway through the march. And the front casters rattled all the way to Greenfield. Over the years, Brooks and his students made adjustments, replacing the front wheels with pneumatic casters and utilizing LED lights. They even added a cupholder and a place to hook an umbrella. “The second year, you could push it with one finger,” Brooks said, proudly. “That cart rolled so nice.”

The march, and need, grows

The march has since gotten bigger and bolder. In the event’s third year, Renaissance Faire actors rode in on horseback and presented Belmonte with a cape. From then on, he was marching in costume, drawing even more attention by channeling the Statue of Liberty, Weird Barbie, and last year, Glinda and Elphaba from “Wicked.” (To show his range, he often dresses up as one character on the first day and another on the second. This year he’ll add a third persona.)

The 16th annual march’s theme is “icons of public broadcasting,” and Belmonte has already appeared in a 413-focused promo as “Monte Rogers.” On Saturday, the march will be led by Bob Ross. Ernie from “Sesame Street” will take the helm on Monday and closing it out on Tuesday will be Mr. Rogers.

Belmonte said that Swanson’s Fabrics and Northampton Wools have teamed up to knit a lavender sweater worthy of Mr. Rogers, whose mother made his colorful cardigans: “A local wool farmer raised the sheep and spun and dyed the wool, so it really feels like we’re knitting the community together in more ways than one.”

This year’s march follows the recent chaos around whether the federal government would continue to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP helps 42 million Americans afford food, a number that, according to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, includes 194,000 people in Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin and Berkshire counties.

“We can’t rely on the federal government to keep its word … so we need to rely on ourselves to make sure our neighbors have enough to eat,” Belmonte said. He is currently facilitating five “listening sessions” for the state’s Anti-Hunger Task Force, established by Gov. Maura Healey to create long-term solutions to food insecurity. “It gives me hope that someday we may all realize food is a human right.”

Jillian Morgan, director of development at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, said she thinks the delay in SNAP benefits underscored the importance of the Food Bank and its network of 200 pantries. “But,” she said, “it also shows that the Food Bank needs to be ready for whatever comes.”

Over the years Brooks and his students have built four customized carts. They provide regular maintenance every year, and now his successor, Christopher Richards, leads the charge.

The coolest part about the carts is their names: Katniss, Katniss 2: Catching Fire, Mocking Jay 1 and Mocking Jay 2. “Monte thought that was the greatest thing,” Brooks said. “Katniss is his baby.”

“I’m not from the Valley,” Richards said, “but I’m learning that this is very important and everybody seems to want to help.” As a surprise for Belmonte, he added custom handwarmers to Katniss this year.

Donations are welcome through Dec. 31 at foodbankwma.org.

Melissa Karen Sances can be reached at melissaksances@gmail.com.