Springfield area to step up for CROP Hunger Walks |
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GREATER SPRINGFIELD — Residents from communities all over Western Massachusetts will put on their walking shoes to help eradicate hunger and poverty around the world and around the block by participating in one of 14 CROP Hunger Walks, which will take place on the third and fourth Sundays in October.
CROP stands for “Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty.” CROP Hunger Walks raise money for local food pantries and other hunger and poverty-fighting programs both here at home and around the world, where the money helps communities affected by natural disasters and provides long term recovery and sustainable development to help lift people out of poverty.
Church World Service (CWS), which has sponsored CROP Hunger Walks since the late 1960’s, is currently continuing aid to communities here in the U.S. impacted by record spring storms, including right here in Western Massachusetts, where long term recovery group training is being provided. CWS also shipped 6,000 hygiene kits to Western Massachusetts immediately following the June 1 tornado.
This year also marks the driest period in the Eastern Horn of Africa region since 1995, with the lowest level of rainfall in more than 50 years and more than 10 million people in some way affected by the growing crisis.
As a result, food security has deteriorated for most households in all arid and semi-arid regions in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia as well as other countries in the region. CWS is providing emergency food relief for families, supplemental feeding for children younger than 5, water provision via tanker trucks, and longer-term food security and permanent water initiatives in affected areas.
The majority of the walks are scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 16. Dalton and Northampton will walk on Oct. 23.
In all, a couple of thousand walkers hope to raise $125,000 for the cause. Earlier this spring, CROP Hunger Walk in Agawam and West Springfield, Amherst, Southwick and Granville raised $27,000 to help end hunger.
Last year, approximately 1,500 walkers in 14 CROP Hunger Walks in Western Massachusetts raised nearly $120,000 to end hunger here at home and around the world. Of that amount, nearly $30,000 went to local food programs chosen by the walk communities.
Some of the local recipient agencies included the Open Pantry in Springfield, which received $3,313; Our Community Food Pantry in Southwick, $3,110, Community Survival Center in Indian Orchard, $1,591; Franklin Area Survival Center and Franklin County Community Meals both received $1,219; Greater Westfield Food Pantry, $1,324; and Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen in Chicopee, $502. Many other food pantries and programs received grants as well.
For more information about any of these Western Massachusetts CROP Walks, contact CWS in Ludlow at 583-8355, or find a walk at www.cropwalkonline.org.
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