After going viral on the TTC, this Toronto duo is walking Line 2 for charity

Just one year after going viral for walking from Finch to Union Station, two friends are now journeying across the TTC’s Line 2 subway route to raise money for a local food bank.

In 2025, Samantha Ruth and Amanda Gracia walked 16 kilometres as they journeyed across half of Line 1, from Finch to Union Station. They stopped at every station to take a selfie and document their journey, which quickly went viral.

Now, the pair tells Now Toronto they’ll be embarking on a new journey this year: 30 kilometres from Kennedy Station in Scarborough to Kipling Station in Etobicoke, travelling the entire length of the TTC’s Bloor-Danforth line.

This time around, the duo says they’ll be doing it with a goal in mind: raising money for Out of the Cold Foundation (OOTC), the largest interfaith volunteer food initiative, which provides more than 900 hot meals and 400 bagged lunches a week to the community.

The meal program operates twice a week, 12 months of the year.

Ruth says they were inspired to turn the walk into a fundraiser by a friend who has been raising money for cancer research through the Great Cycle Challenge for SickKids.

Choosing a food bank was a perfect fit, considering Ruth volunteers with OOTC, while Gracia is a registered dietitian who works at a hospital.

“Something that’s really near and dear to both Amanda and I is the food bank and fighting food insecurity in Toronto,” Ruth said.

“I volunteer for OOTC, and it’s just been one of the best choices I’ve made ever since moving to Toronto, to be able to feed our neighbours and talk to the people and see what they need in terms of food and housing.”

The duo quickly set a fundraising goal of $1,000, and although the walk has yet to take place, they’ve already reached it.

“We reached $1,000 in terms of donations. But if anybody wants to still contribute, I think it’s still open,” Gracia said.

The pair says the $1,000 will help provide 200 hot meals to people in need.

They’re more prepared for the long walk this time

But of course, there is still one more goal to be met: the actual walk.

The two say they’ve been mentally preparing for the long journey.

Gracia says they realized the eastern stretch of the line could take close to two hours between some stations, and worried their morale would be low by that point. So, despite being east-enders, they decided to start at Kennedy towards Kipling instead to get the hardest part out of the way first.

This year, the pair is also putting more thought into preparing for the 30-kilometre journey.

Gracia says she and Ruth have been working through their packing list, planning to bring more water, electrolytes and snacks than they did last time.

They’ve also planned a lunch stop in Koreatown, near Christie Station, where they expect they’ll be ready for a break and a meal.

And they’re making sure their technology is prepared for the journey too. Gracia says her Fitbit died during last year’s walk, so a power bank is now on the packing list.

Despite the long journey ahead, they say they’re still excited.

Part of what made last year’s walk memorable was the opportunity to explore different Toronto neighbourhoods, and they say this year will be no different. They’ve identified areas like Greektown and Bangla Town as some of the places they’re most excited to walk through.

After tackling Line 1 last summer, the two are hoping to turn these walks into an annual journey. They’re even planning to walk the length of the upcoming Ontario Line, despite the line still being under construction.

While the duo has no plans to invite others to join them anytime soon, they are encouraging people to continue donating to the food bank and even take the time to volunteer.

“We are really trying to shine the spotlight here on Toronto food banks and how they need our help in terms of monetary donations, but also in terms of people’s time,” Ruth said.