Dozens of students walked a 10-mile loop from Harvard to Boston University yesterday to raise money for Family Table, a Boston Jewish food bank.

The walk-a-thon, which was held for the first time yesterday, was organized by members of the Harvard Hillel.

"This event is a unique opportunity for Jewish students in the Boston area to get to know one another while making a difference," Ariela M. Migdal '96, co-coordinator of the walk, wrote in a press release.

"The idea was to make it a regional Hillel event and to bring in students from other schools," said Deena A. Shore '96 of Quincy House, who handled registrations for the walk.

In the tradition of the annual Walk for Hunger, sponsors pledged money to the walkers, who raised approximately 1,500 dollars, according to Rachel R. Schiff '96 of Eliot House, who coordinated the walk with Migdal.

Schiff said Family Table keeps a list of needy Jewish families in the area and periodically delivers food packages to them.

According to Shore, about half of the walkers were Harvard students while the rest came from other area schools, including MIT, Tufts, Wellesley, Boston College and Babson University.

Meeting at 1 p.m. at the Harvard Hillel, the students walked to MIT, through downtown Boston, and into Brookline before ending at the Boston University Hillel for closing activities.

Stephen E. Gordon '98 of Quincy House organized a group of several students from Yachad, a branch of Boston's orthodox N.C.S.Y. youth group. "Yachad" is a Hebrew word meaning "together," Gordon said.

"It's a program that works with, I believe, teenagers and young adults who have mostly learning and mental disabilities," Gordon said. "The idea is to help integrate them into society...basically, not to let their disabilities prevent them from leading happy lives."

Gordon assigned Harvard students, including Miriam B. Goldstein '99, to accompany Yachad students for the last part of the walk, from Brookline to Boston University.

Goldstein, a resident of Hurlbut Hall, said she enjoyed the company of the Yachad students. "We got to know them a little bit and they got to know us a little bit," she said.

Both Gordon and Shore expressed hope that the walk will become an annual event.

"Things like this tend to start off small, but hopefully it will become an established event and get bigger," Shore said.

Following the walk yesterday, Naftali S. Cohn '96 of Dunster House said he felt "tired but good, and fulfilled--especially since there are kosher restaurants in Brookline along the way.