AUBURN - Despite cool and rainy weather, approximately 130 walkers turned out for the Crop Walk in Auburn and many others participated in similar walks held throughout the county on Sunday afternoon.

“The motto is ‘We walk because they walk.' It's not always great weather where they're walking,” said Laurie Trojnor, speaking to the walkers in Auburn before they began.

The purpose of the Crop Walks is to raise funds for world and local hunger needs through Church World Service, a disaster relief, self-help and development and refugee assistance organization. Of the money raised by each walk, 25 percent of it is returned to the local community to be divided among its food pantries.

The rest of the money goes to Church World Service and is used both nationally and internationally, distributed throughout 80 countries. The walks are held to allow local participants to identify with people living in poverty who must walk daily for food, water and other essentials.

Trojnor said last year the Auburn Crop Walk raised about $7,500. By the end of the walk, Dianne Wolczyk, treasurer for the event, said the Auburn walkers had raised about $5,812. Wolczyk said that number would likely increase as more donations came in.

Holy Family Church in Auburn had 28 walkers this year. This is the second year the church has pulled together a group for the event, said Bernie Tomasso, pastoral minister at the church.

“We've had a large amount of support, financially, prayerfully and in the number of walkers,” he said. Last year, the church raised about $1,400, and Tomasso expects to raise more this year.

Nancy Smith, a member of the church, said her two daughters raised $139.

“My daughters got really into it,” Smith said. “They hit up all their teachers and friends.”

Auburn High School students Chris Ackerley and Colleen White have participated in the Crop Walk for the past three years through Trinity Methodist Church in Auburn.

“Our whole church came together, and they'll walk together as a group,” Ackerley said.

In Weedsport, another group of walkers gathered to raise money to support its local pantries. Jennifer Spencer, co-chair of the Weedsport walk, added music and door prizes to the local walk this year to turn it into more of a community event.

“We wanted to get people to bring the community together,” Spencer said. “Everyone's sort of coming together.”

Organizers with the Weedsport event also collected canned goods and coats.

For the past 15 years, Joyce Hamm of Weedsport has been participating in the walk with her four children.

“We do it to support the food pantries,” she said. “And the kids like to walk.”

The youth group at First Presbyterian Church in Weedsport also provided several walkers and raised $356 for the event this year, said Dan Thomas, leader of the group.

Other walks in the area were held in Aurora, Jordan-Elbridge and Moravia.

Staff writer Anne Gleason can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or anne.gleason@lee.net