Couple walks through Durham on fundraising trek from Maine to Florida

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A couple is walking across America for a good cause, and their trip took them through Durham on Wednesday.

Matt and Grace Grooms and their two dogs are currently walking the East Coast Greenway. The Greenway is an almost 3,000-mile-long route that goes from Calais, Maine, down to the southernmost tip of the U.S. in Key West, Florida.

This isn't The Grooms' first Walk Across America. In 2020, they made their first walk from Huntington Beach, California to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

This time around, the couple is raising money for the nonprofit Elevate Youth out of Boston. Their goal is to raise $100,000.

"We wanted a nonprofit that really aligned with us," explained Matt. "And, we thought, 'Hey, what's something that gets us going? Where have we learned the most in the outdoors and then being around great mentors and Elevate Youth out of Boston has a group that takes the kids out on fishing trips, camping trips, kayaking, anything you name it. And they meet with them a couple of times a week. They do a summer camp in the summer, and they're just a super cool group."

The Grooms said they have seen some interesting things along their journey.

"One day we did see someone pushing a stroller and we're like, what's in their stroller?" Grace said. "Someone had a parrot strapped to the stroller. They were pushing their parrot down the road!"

The Grooms started their walk in Maine on April 20th and plan to arrive in Key West sometime in December. They're updating their journey through their social media accounts.