BEVERLY — It might have been the good weather. It might have been the pre-event publicity. Or it might have been simply the urge to help.
Whatever the combination of reasons, Friday's 30th annual Good Friday Walk was a big success. Five hundred and fifty walkers, an increase of 75 from last year, raised about $30,000 for needy people on the North Shore, according to Good Friday Walk president Alan Battistelli.
The event will end up raising more than twice that once all donations come in, he said.
"That's a big day," said Battistelli, the son of the walk's founder, the late Ray Battistelli. "Ray would've been happy."
The Good Friday Walk has raised more than $2 million since its inception in 1979. The money is used to help people pay their rent and utility bills, as well as for other needs.
Of the 550 walkers, 260 participated for the first time, Alan Battistelli said. Walkers were given T-shirts commemorating the 30th anniversary of the event.
The 11-mile walk starts at St. John the Evangelist School in North Beverly and proceeds to the First Baptist Church, the Church in the Cove, St. Margaret's Church in Beverly Farms and back to St. John's. Walkers were fed lunch at St. Margaret's.
Beverly resident Rich Donlon, a retired postal worker, participated for the 29th time.
"There were a lot of smiling young faces, a lot of students in the Beverly school system," Battistelli said. "We're seeing grandchildren of people who have walked before. It was a successful day."
Donations can still be made at goodfridaywalk.org.
