Neighborhood blocks in Farrell and Sharon are being challenged to walk their way to lighter bodies and a healthier style of living.

The Minority Health Advocacy Committee is sponsoring a neighborhood wellness program that kicks off Wednesday. Residents in an 80-block area of Farrell and Sharon -- the area covered by Weed and Seed -- will be challenged to walk 300 miles, Olive Brown of Minority Health said.

The program kicks off from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Minority Health Office, 901 Fruit Ave., Farrell. Participants must register to walk during that time.

Adults and children will be challenged to walk 300 miles between Wednesday and Sept. 30, Ms. Brown said.

Participants will be required to weigh in at sign-up and then each week, Ms. Brown said. There will also be blood pressure checks, she said.

Each block will be considered a team and prizes will be given to the teams who walk the most miles and lose the most weight collectively, she said. At least three people per block are needed to be considered a team, she said.

The prizes will be something to beautify the block in which the winners live, Ms. Brown said.

The program, patterned after a program called "Walk off the Weight" from an April article on Women's Day Magazine, is a community effort, Ms. Brown said. Southwest Gardens in Farrell is helping with the project, she said.

Ms. Brown said organizers hope the program helps to blend the neighborhoods involved in Weed and Seed and tie the communities together.

Throughout the program there will also be presentations held to teach participants about healthy eating, weight loss, exercise and other health-related topics, Ms. Brown said.

The first program will be presented at 10:30 a.m. May 22 at Southwest Gardens and again at 6 p.m. at Minority Health, Ms. Brown said. The topic is healthy eating and will be presented by Karen Dahl, a dietitian with Sharon Regional Health System.