“We Walk Because They Walk” is the slogan for the CROP Walk, which is being held across the country and across central New York. It starts locally this weekend.
The Citizen file photo
Auburn High School freshmen Mallorie Dygert, Courtney Samartan and Alisha Luziani bring up the rear in last year's CROP Walk. The trio came out to support raising money to help feed the hungry. They heard about the event through Catholic Charities.
Auburn High School freshmen Mallorie Dygert, Courtney Samartan and Alisha Luziani bring up the rear in last year's CROP Walk. The trio came out to support raising money to help feed the hungry. They heard about the event through Catholic Charities.
Volunteers are walking Sunday in Auburn, Elbridge, Skaneateles and next Sunday in Aurora and Weedsport. Walkers solicit pledges and donations up to the time of the walk.
CROP stands for “Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty,” and is a project of Church World Service, multi-denominational organization that provides sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief and refugee assistance in more than 80 countries around the world.
The fundraiser takes the form of a walk because many people in impoverished areas have to walk long distances for basic necessities such as food and water, if it is available at all, or to bring crops or crafts to the market. By walking to raise money, the walkers form a bond of solidarity with the people who are in need.
The first CROP Walk was held in Bismark, N.D., in 1969. The first central New York walk was held in 1977. Residents of Cayuga, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties have raised more than $3.5 million since then, with almost $1 million of that money going to area food banks and meal providers.
Laura Trojnor has been the coordinator for the Auburn walk for the past few years.
“Our CROP walk will be at (Cayuga Community College). The short walk will be about a mile around the nature trail, and the longer walk, about three miles, is around the east end of the city. Twenty-five percent of the money we raise will be divided among local food pantries and meal services. We want to experience what other people do, who may have to walk miles just for a bucket of water, where running water is a luxury.“
According to literature published by Church World Service, as little as $72 can provide emergency food supplies to feed a family for a month, and $1,000 can provide health, hygiene and sanitation training for an entire community.
Jennifer Spencer, one of the coordinators of the Weedsport walk, said this community's event offers a 1-mile and a 5-mile walk through the village, which will begin at the Weedsport United Methodist Church, of which she is a member.
“We accept donations of money or food,” she said.
From Aurora, Louise Rossman said, “I'm trying to involve all the churches in the area to try to bring in more volunteers. I'm hoping to have walkers from Wells College and the village of Union Springs.”
Shannon Hamer, along with her husband Brad, has been involved with the Jordan/Elbridge CROP Walk for 12 years.
“There are five churches from the Jordan/Elbridge Church Board that participate as a cooperative group,” she said. “They oversee the Jordan/Elbridge food pantry. We try to alternate the walks, one year in Elbridge, the next in Jordan. We walk about two miles, and we typically have about 50 people.”
The goal of the CROP walks is to raise money to fight hunger and poverty, but one of its benefits is the way it brings community members together from different social, ethnic and religious backgrounds. On a more global scale, organizations as diverse as The American
Bible Society, Lutheran World Relief, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Seventh Day Adventist Church work together to distribute funds raised by CROP Walks.
The 31st annual CROP Hunger Walks to raise money to help alleviate hunger will begin in Cayuga County at various
locations Sunday, Oct. 14.
Walks include:
€ Auburn - 1:30 p.m., Cayuga Community College, 197 Franklin St., Auburn; contact Laurie Trojnor at 253-2222
€ Jordan-Elbridge - 2 p.m., Elbridge Community Church, East Main Street, Elbridge; contact Brad or Shannon Hamer at 689-9357
€ Moravia - 1 p.m., Christ United Methodist Church, 36 Church St., Moravia; contact Terri Mazzacchi at 497-2783 or 497-3502
€ Skaneateles - 1 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 97 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles; contact Roxanna Rice at 253-9352
Additional walks will be held the following Sunday, Oct. 21:
€ Aurora - 2 p.m., United Ministry Church, 337 Main St., Aurora; contact Louise Rossmann at 364-8897
€ Weedsport - 1 p.m., United Methodist Church, 2744 E. Brutus St., Weedsport; contact Jennifer Spencer at 834-8612 or Val White at 255-1931
Cayuga County joins 2,000 cities and towns nationwide around the theme “We Walk Because They Walk” recognizing that many people around the world walk miles for food.
For more: Visit www.cropwalk.org
CROP stands for “Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty,” and is a project of Church World Service, multi-denominational organization that provides sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief and refugee assistance in more than 80 countries around the world.
The fundraiser takes the form of a walk because many people in impoverished areas have to walk long distances for basic necessities such as food and water, if it is available at all, or to bring crops or crafts to the market. By walking to raise money, the walkers form a bond of solidarity with the people who are in need.
The first CROP Walk was held in Bismark, N.D., in 1969. The first central New York walk was held in 1977. Residents of Cayuga, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties have raised more than $3.5 million since then, with almost $1 million of that money going to area food banks and meal providers.
Laura Trojnor has been the coordinator for the Auburn walk for the past few years.
“Our CROP walk will be at (Cayuga Community College). The short walk will be about a mile around the nature trail, and the longer walk, about three miles, is around the east end of the city. Twenty-five percent of the money we raise will be divided among local food pantries and meal services. We want to experience what other people do, who may have to walk miles just for a bucket of water, where running water is a luxury.“
According to literature published by Church World Service, as little as $72 can provide emergency food supplies to feed a family for a month, and $1,000 can provide health, hygiene and sanitation training for an entire community.
Jennifer Spencer, one of the coordinators of the Weedsport walk, said this community's event offers a 1-mile and a 5-mile walk through the village, which will begin at the Weedsport United Methodist Church, of which she is a member.
“We accept donations of money or food,” she said.
From Aurora, Louise Rossman said, “I'm trying to involve all the churches in the area to try to bring in more volunteers. I'm hoping to have walkers from Wells College and the village of Union Springs.”
Shannon Hamer, along with her husband Brad, has been involved with the Jordan/Elbridge CROP Walk for 12 years.
“There are five churches from the Jordan/Elbridge Church Board that participate as a cooperative group,” she said. “They oversee the Jordan/Elbridge food pantry. We try to alternate the walks, one year in Elbridge, the next in Jordan. We walk about two miles, and we typically have about 50 people.”
The goal of the CROP walks is to raise money to fight hunger and poverty, but one of its benefits is the way it brings community members together from different social, ethnic and religious backgrounds. On a more global scale, organizations as diverse as The American
Bible Society, Lutheran World Relief, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Seventh Day Adventist Church work together to distribute funds raised by CROP Walks.
The 31st annual CROP Hunger Walks to raise money to help alleviate hunger will begin in Cayuga County at various
locations Sunday, Oct. 14.
Walks include:
€ Auburn - 1:30 p.m., Cayuga Community College, 197 Franklin St., Auburn; contact Laurie Trojnor at 253-2222
€ Jordan-Elbridge - 2 p.m., Elbridge Community Church, East Main Street, Elbridge; contact Brad or Shannon Hamer at 689-9357
€ Moravia - 1 p.m., Christ United Methodist Church, 36 Church St., Moravia; contact Terri Mazzacchi at 497-2783 or 497-3502
€ Skaneateles - 1 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 97 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles; contact Roxanna Rice at 253-9352
Additional walks will be held the following Sunday, Oct. 21:
€ Aurora - 2 p.m., United Ministry Church, 337 Main St., Aurora; contact Louise Rossmann at 364-8897
€ Weedsport - 1 p.m., United Methodist Church, 2744 E. Brutus St., Weedsport; contact Jennifer Spencer at 834-8612 or Val White at 255-1931
Cayuga County joins 2,000 cities and towns nationwide around the theme “We Walk Because They Walk” recognizing that many people around the world walk miles for food.
For more: Visit www.cropwalk.org
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