Couple walking from Maine to Key West makes their way through New Hanover County

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Experts say walking is one of the best forms of exercise, but for one couple, walking is about more than just staying healthy.

They’re making an extensive journey for a good cause.

For Matt and Grace Grooms, their walks aren’t the typical handful of miles around the block. They prefer long distance.

The couple is walking along the East Coast Greenway from Maine to Key West, a distance of 3,000 miles.

They started walking in April and walked around 1,900 miles as they came into Wilmington on Sunday, September 17th.

This isn’t the first time they’ve walked across the country.

2 years ago, they walked from Huntington Beach, California to Myrtle Beach in 7 months and these walks aren’t just for their benefit.

The couple is raising money for a non-profit called “Elevate Youth.”

“For this walk, we wanted to choose a non-profit on the East Coast specifically and then we wanted a non-profit that helped with kids, especially in the bigger areas,” Matt said.

Their goal is to raise $100,000 and so far, they’ve raised around $37,000.

Their previous walk raised more than $97,000.

The couple said they can’t believe the support they’ve received from people as they walk.

“We’re all about positivity and, you know, like when we’re out on the road, we’re always waving to people, we’re always saying good morning, we always want to try to make that really personal connection with people,” Matt said.

“I mean, we’ve walked through a bunch of the major cities in the United States,” Grace said. “Didn’t have any issues, you know. Most of the time, everyone is so, so kind, no matter what neighborhood we’ve walked through and so its just about saying hello and putting yourself out there and spreading that positivity to everybody.”

The Grooms expect to be in southeast North Carolina for another week or so, eventually finishing their trip in Key West by early December.