This writer is walking to every single branch of the Toronto Public Library in 10 days
Marci Stepak is doing the 300-kilometre walk as a fundraiser in honour of her late mother, who died of cancer last year
Writer Marci Stepak remembers her mother, Eunice, as being such an avid reader that she would pore over the cereal box at breakfast if no books were available. It was at the York Woods branch of the Toronto Public Library, where Eunice would take Marci and her siblings at least once a week to replenish their reading materials, that Marci developed her lifelong love of reading.
When Eunice died of cancer last April, Marci wanted to honour her memory, so she pledged to walk to every single branch of the Toronto Public Library in just 10 days in order to raise money for the TPL Foundation. The walk will cover about 300 kilometres—approximately the same distance as a stroll from downtown to Algonquin Park. Marci will begin on April 7 and complete the walk on April 16, five days after the first anniversary of her mother’s death. “I’m aiming to raise $5,000, but the reality is I’m going to be genuinely thrilled with any amount people feel compelled to give,” she says.
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The walk isn’t just for Marci’s mom—it’s for everyone who has found refuge at the library. “For many seniors, the library is one of the last truly free, welcoming places they can access—a place to show up, learn something new and feel like part of the city rather than pushed to the edges,” Marci says. The TPL’s home library service, which delivers books to people who can’t physically make it to a branch, was instrumental for Eunice as her condition worsened, so Marci plans to give back by raising funds to support the library’s crucial programming. (Anyone interested can donate here.)
Marci was inspired by Toronto-based designer Noah Ortmann, who mocked up a TPL “passport” in 2015 to log visits to each branch. Marci and Eunice dreamed of making the trek together, which would combine their shared passion for reading, public libraries and exploring the city on foot. Eunice was always big on walking, racking up five kilometres a day well into her 70s. Marci says they often used planning their TPL walking tour as a distraction from Eunice’s illness.
Mapping a coherent path between every TLP branch was no small feat: the library has locations across the GTA, from Islington to Port Union. The route kicks off at the Humberwood branch in Etobicoke and ends at the Toronto Reference Library. In between, Marci plans to wind around the Humber and York areas, crisscrossing over the 401 and 400, before trekking through midtown and into Scarborough. She’ll make her way downtown via a roundabout route through East York and the Beaches before a dense couple of days hitting every branch in the city centre.
To make the route possible, Marci will take transit to the first branch in the mornings, then home from the last library of the day. Then she’ll start again at the next branch on the list. She says it took many hours of trial and error on Google Maps to get the path dialled in—as far as she’s aware, there’s no mapping tool designed to handle this kind of planning. For particularly busy days, she’s put together multiple maps to cope with all the stops.
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Marci will be joined by a rotating cast of friends, family and her dog, Tess. She’s also encouraging anyone who wants to tag along for a section to come out and walk with her—the maps are available on Marci’s website for anyone who wants to join in. She hopes others will share stories about the role libraries have played in their lives.
Marci’s route averages 30 kilometres a day, which verges into marathon territory. So, for the past year, she’s been training to handle the distance. Her current regimen involves several hours on a treadmill each day, and last summer she completed a 180-kilometre hike in Tobermory, where her feet took such a beating that she lost a toenail.
She says she expects the walk to be challenging but is excited to explore different parts of the city—and to sample some new takeout joints for fuel along the way.
