PATTAYA, Thailand – Sometimes a walk is about far more than the distance travelled. It is about the people beside you, the lives you can change and the legacy you leave behind.
On Saturday, 29 August, the Pattaya community will have the opportunity to make every step count when the Hand to Hand Foundation holds a special Community Walk around Lake Maprachan — the final fundraiser for long-time foundation leader Margaret Grainger before she returns to Australia.
Throughout August, Hand to Hand has been taking on an extraordinary 7,250km Global Walk Challenge, representing the distance between Bangkok and Brisbane. Supporters in Thailand and around the world have been contributing kilometres towards the ambitious target.
Now, the challenge comes home to Pattaya.
From 8:30am to noon on Saturday, 29 August, families, children, schools, businesses, community groups and individuals are invited to gather at Lake Maprachan, starting at the clock tower. Participants can walk as much or as little as they like — whether that means one kilometre or the full route around the lake. The important thing is simply to be there.
Every step can help change a life
Hand to Hand is a Pattaya-based Christian organisation dedicated to supporting people who are marginalised, regardless of race, age or religion. Its work goes well beyond providing immediate assistance, with programmes covering food, education, legal documentation, family support, housing, scholarships and care for vulnerable children.
The foundation’s Family Care Ministry, for example, currently reaches 77 families in nine disadvantaged communities, providing food packages, clothing and medicine when needed. Its weekly food packages include basic staples such as rice, noodles, cooking oil, fish sauce and canned fish.
Education is another important part of the mission. Through child sponsorships and scholarships, Hand to Hand helps families keep their children within their own homes rather than facing the painful choice of giving them up because they cannot afford education, food or other necessities.
That is why the Global Walk is about much more than reaching 7,250 kilometres. Every kilometre represents an opportunity to provide food, education, dignity and hope.
Bring a bag of rice, and bring a heart for the community
Participants are also encouraged to bring a 5kg bag of rice on the morning of the walk.
It may seem like a small contribution, but rice is one of the essential staples regularly distributed to families in need. Hand to Hand’s experience demonstrates how even modest donations can become meaningful support when an entire community gets involved.
There will also be special Hand to Hand Charity Walk T-shirts for 250 baht, with proceeds going towards the foundation’s work.
The shirts recognise the businesses and organisations that have supported the Global Walk, highlighting another important part of the Hand to Hand story: this work is only possible because people choose to get involved.
The foundation says it relies heavily on volunteers and supporters who contribute their time, money, prayers and unwanted household items.
Margaret’s final fundraiser
This year’s event carries a particularly emotional significance. Margaret – the foundation’s Australian-born founder and vice-president – has lived in Pattaya since 2000. She has overseen projects, coordinated volunteers, worked with sponsors, taught English at the pre-school and been involved in prison ministry. The foundation describes her as someone with a deep love for poor and underprivileged people in Pattaya.
In September, Margaret will return to Australia, making the Global Walk her final fundraiser with Hand to Hand. After so many years of serving children, families and vulnerable members of the Pattaya community, it is a fitting moment for the city to come together – not simply to say goodbye, but to say thank you. And perhaps the best way to honour Margaret is not with words, but with action.
⸙ Walk with her.
⸙ Bring your family.
⸙ Bring your friends.
⸙ Bring a bag of rice.
⸙ Buy a shirt.
⸙ Make a donation.
⸙ Or simply turn up and show that the community she has served for so many years cares.
A new generation steps forward
While Margaret’s departure marks the end of one chapter, it is not the end of the Hand to Hand story. Jessica Chilver will take over her role, bringing continuity as well as a new generation of energy to the foundation. Jessica’s connection with Hand to Hand goes back much further than a new job.
“I started volunteering with Hand to Hand when I was just six years old,” Jessica said. “I grew up around the foundation, the children and the people who make this place so special. Walking into this role now feels less like starting a new job and more like coming home to family.” It is a powerful reminder that genuine community work can inspire the next generation. Margaret helped build something that Jessica now has the opportunity to carry forward — and the community can help ensure that the foundation’s mission remains strong.
Hand to Hand also works closely with social welfare officers, police, the mayor and other government departments to support vulnerable people. Its work has included helping develop child-protection policies for Pattaya and participating in wider networks focused on protecting children.
Make the final kilometre count
There are many ways to measure a successful fundraiser: money raised, food collected or kilometres completed. But perhaps the greatest measure is how many people decide that they can make a difference.
On Saturday, 29 August, Pattaya has the chance to turn 7,250 kilometres into something much more powerful — a celebration of community, compassion and a woman who has dedicated years of her life to helping others.
7,250 kilometres. One community. One final fundraiser for Margaret. And one new chapter for Hand to Hand.
Join the Community Walk
Saturday, 29 August 2026
8:30am–12:00pm
Lake Maprachan, Pattaya — starting at the clock tower
Charity Walk T-shirts: 250 baht
Optional donation: 5kg bag of rice
Let’s make Margaret’s final fundraiser her biggest one yet.
