DuPage CROP Hunger Walks to fight food insecurity at home and abroad
Recent executive actions and policies are pushing more families and communities into extreme poverty and hunger – around the block and around the world.
In partnership with global humanitarian organization Church World Service (cwsglobal.org), CROP Hunger Walks are stepping up to meet the increased need.
CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide fundraising and awareness events organized by CWS to combat hunger and poverty, both locally and globally. Participants walk to raise money and awareness for its initiatives, which include providing food, water, and resources for sustainable development in vulnerable communities.
The walks are a way for people of all backgrounds to come together and make a tangible difference in the fight against hunger. In addition, a portion of the funds raised is donated to local food pantries and other hunger-fighting organizations.
Great Prairie Trail CROP Hunger Walk, a 3-mile walk on the Prairie Path and Great Western Trail in Lombard will take place on Sunday Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. supports the communities of Lombard, Villa Park and Addison. Local beneficiaries will be The Outreach House, Community Table, Elmhurst UCCA, Disciples Food Pantry and Food for the Soul. Last year 100 walkers raised over $23,000.
The start and finish will be at First Church of Lombard, 220 S. Main St., where there will be family friendly activities and all walkers will be entered in a raffle. Sponsors committed to date include Thrivent Financial, Dairy Queen, ACE Hardware Lombard, Brust Funeral Home, Organize by Margaret, Culvers Lombard and several local churches.
The Northwest DuPage United CROP Hunger Walk will take place on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m., beginning at Little Home Church, 32W128 Army Trail Road, Wayne.
This walk covers the communities of Bartlett, Carol Stream, Wayne, West Chicago, and other surrounding areas.
The trail participants will use for the walk is the Dunham Trail, part of the DuPage County Forest Preserve, which is approximately a quarter of a mile west of the church. The trail segment is 1.2 miles in total and walkers can cover as much ground as they are able. The trail surface type is limestone. Last year, 60 walkers raised more than $15,000.
South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk, a 6K walk through Downers Grove, is made up of teams from Darien, Downers Grove, Lisle, Westmont and Woodridge. It takes place on Sunday, Oct. 19.
Local agencies benefitted are Downers Grove Area FISH Pantry, Hope’s Front Door, Lisle Township Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, People’s Resource Center and West Suburban Community Pantry.
Last year, 127 walkers raised more than $33,000. The Walk starts and ends at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 4501 Main St., Downers Grove.
Organizers say this year’s walk is even more important than ever. “The abrupt halt of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the freezing of foreign assistance will have dire consequences for many of the communities where CWS is at work,” said Jon Skogen, National Community Event Manager, Church World Service.
“These policies will leave a vacuum in critical services. In some locations, CWS will be the only organization providing humanitarian assistance. The annual CROP Hunger Walks raise significant funds which are a critical foundation for all the work at CWS,” Skogen added.
In addition, a portion of the funds raised in DuPage County will go to local food pantries who are expecting an increase in guests as federal cutbacks to SNAP and Medicaid programs make it even harder for food-insecure residents to put healthy food on the table for their families.
For more information about each CROP Walk and to join in, visit tinyurl.com/gptCROP (Great Prairie Trail), tinyurl.com/nwducrop (Northwest DuPage United) or tinyurl.com/sdpCROP (South DuPage). Or the main CROP Hunger Walk site at crophungerwalk.org.