The 28th annual CROP Hunger Walk May 15 is calling on individuals, churches, clubs, schools, organizations and businesses to raise money to feed the hungry locally and for aid in disaster relief efforts domestically and abroad.
“It’s a wonderful organization and it’s wonderful the community can come together to make a difference with the CROP walk,” said Sharon Kenyon, a walk organizer.
CROP stands for Community Responding to Overcome Poverty and is sponsored by the Renton Ecumenical Association of Churches or REACH.
Hours of the walk are 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on May 15.
The course for the walk has two routes and both begin at the Liberty Park Shelter. There is an 11k/6.8 mile walk that heads east along the Cedar River Trail to Ron Regis Park and then returns to the starting point. Then there is the “Golden 1.5 Mile” walk which heads east to the first checkpoint at Riverview Park Shelter.
Last year the walk drew about 300 walkers and workers and raised $22,000.
Twenty-five percent of the funds raised from the Renton walk will go to local food agencies, including the Salvation Army Renton Food Bank, the Friendly Kitchen, ARISE (Area of Renton Interfaith Shelter Endeavor) and Margie Williams Helping Hands.
The Salvation Army provides food for more than 1,500 people weekly, the Friendly Kitchen provides for 50 to 60 people, ARISE feeds 22 people and Margie Williams provides for about 350 people every Saturday.
To date the walk has raised $115,000 to help local food agencies and raised $462,000 total.
Seventy-five percent of the funds have gone to Church World Service, of which CROP walk is a program, to aid some 80 countries, helping victims of disaster and hunger.
There is three times as many people coming to food agencies for assistance, said Kenyon.
She said Church World Service is really good at training and networking with people for emergency relief efforts and right now they are active in Japan, Haiti and parts of the U.S. recently struck by natural disaster.
Kenyon likes that Church World Service provides “hand ups” like farm animals, seeds, fishing nets and ovens to people in need to help them not only provide for themselves, but turn around and make a profit using those tools.
“They’re able to know what the people’s needs really are because they have contacts with local leaders, so the money goes where it is really needed,” she said.
In Washington state, Church World Service has helped with training local recovery groups for long-term needs of flood victims and provided flood victims with funds. Also they have distributed many health kits and blankets to the homeless.
CROP Walk
Walkers can register with their participating organization, or at the walk or online at www.cropwalkonline.org with the Renton CROP Hunger Walk. For more information about CWS visit www.churchworldservice.org.
