A New Jersey man walks all the way across the U.S., raising nearly $100,000 to combat veteran homelessness. We told you last year about Tommy Pasquale and his goal to walk from the Jersey shore to California’s Pacific coast to help raise money and awareness for homeless vets. Well, true to his word, the 25-year-old from Randolph reached Venice Beach, California, on February 17th after 143 days, 3-thousand miles, and 10 pairs of shoes. He also managed to raise over $97,000 for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
Last fall, Pasquale, who says he has lots of friends who are veterans or active-duty military, was wanting to “do something crazy” after pandemic lockdowns and also support a cause that’s important to him. So he quit his job, sold his car, and set out to walk across from coast to coast. He initially thought it would take eight months, but once he got in his groove, he was putting in 25 to 30 miles a day and taking fewer rest days, so he reached California a couple of months ahead of schedule.
One thing Pasquale says struck him as he made his way across the country was how people from different walks of life shared a common desire to be kind and generous. “People were very helpful the whole way through,” he says. “It was great to see Americans helping out other Americans.” And as much as he enjoyed the trek, he also says he’s “glad it’s over.” And then he adds, “I definitely learned a lot about myself.” Now that he’s back in New Jersey, Pasquale’s next adventure is to write a book about his experience on his journey.
Source: NY Post