PULLMAN More than $10,000 is the goal of more than 100 walkers taking part in Pullman-Moscow’s 24th annual CROP Walk for Hunger on Sunday, Oct. 14. CROP is an acronym for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty.
Walkers, sponsored with pledges, will begin their journey 2 p.m. Oct.14 at the Chipman Trailhead on Bishop Boulevard in Pullman. There will be 5 and 10 kilometers walks in Pullman on courses through all or part of a Pullman, along the Koppel Farm trail, the Downtown Riverwalk and on the North Grand Greenway to Terre View Drive and back to the Quality Inn parking lot, near the trailhead.
“From babies in strollers to retirees, all ages are welcome to take part,” said Nancy Mack, publicity assistant for Pullman-Moscow CROP Walk. “Using our feet and our gifts of money to help the lives of those less fortunate is an act of caring and humanity that comes from us and goes directly to people in our community and to more than 80 countries needing assistance.”
Walkers will collect donation sponsorships in weeks preceding the walk. Of the more than $10,000 expected to be raised locally, 25 percent of it will go to Pullman and Moscow food banks. The remaining 75 percent will support Church World Service, an ecumenical service agency, which provides hunger and disaster relief in the U.S. and abroad.
“Everyone is invited to gather donations, enjoy a good walk, sponsor a walker, or volunteer to help,” said Mack.
Signups to collect donations or participate begin Sept. 23 and continue until the walk on Oct. 14. Call Joyce Stratton, 509-332-2216, for information or to participate.
Pullman-Moscow CROP Walk is coordinated by a committee of various local church representatives. This event is endorsed by the Common Ministry at WSU.
The annual event symbolizes the walking done by impoverished people every day to collect firewood, find food, or port water, she said. “Doing the CROP Walk for Hunger is a fun, family event for a good social cause that brings new resources to our local food banks in the fall when many families need help putting meals on their tables.”
Last year CROP Walks and other appeals for disaster relief by churches in the U.S. raised over $31 million nationwide for Church World Service. These donations helped fight hunger, dig wells for clean water, and address natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. A current Church World Service humanitarian project is relief for the earthquake victims in Indonesia.
Details are available at Website www.churchworldservice.org .
