Barrington Area CROP Hunger Walk names grand marshals
The Barrington Area CROP Hunger Walk Committee has announced that Mary Sandner and Sandy Hasse have been named grand marshals for the 36th anniversary of this event, which raises funds for people in need in our communities and around the world.
Sandner and Hasse's passion for serving neighbors in need through The Community Meal dovetails so well with the mission of CROP Hunger Walk.
Mary Sandner's journey to founding The Community Meal began when she was a student at Barrington High School. Throughout her high school career, Mary worked at the Barrington Jewel-Osco. It was there that she developed close friendships with her co-workers and had meaningful conversations with customers about their successes and their struggles.
Mary began to realize she had neighbors, friends, and families in need in Barrington. She desired to bring the residents of Barrington together to not only share a meal, but also share real experiences, real conversations, and real problems.
After college, thanks to Mary, with the support of the Barrington Area Ministerial Association and Lutheran Church of the Atonement, the Community Meal was born.
For almost 10 years the mission of The Community Meal has been to show Christian hospitality by providing a welcoming place, nourishing food, a listening ear, and acceptance to all, regardless of faith beliefs or economic means.
The simple act of sharing a meal together gives hope to the elderly, lonely and hungry. Mary Sandner, with the help of her mother, Sandy Hasse, served nearly 5,000 meals in 2017, and hopes to serve 6,000 in 2018.
Future plans for The Community Meal are to expand into other communities like Carpentersville and Lake Zurich, with hopes to build the core team to accommodate that growth.
The Barrington Area CROP Walk is an annual community hunger education and fundraising event sponsored by Church World Service, an international ecumenical relief, development and refugee resettlement agency providing assistance in the United States and around the world.
CWS is also responding to those affected by Hurricane Florence. The walk takes place throughout the village of Barrington, beginning at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 401 E. Main St., Barrington, on Sunday, Oct. 21. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. and the walk will begin at 1 p.m.
Twenty-five percent of all funds raised in Barrington stay in the area, benefiting the Northern Illinois Food Bank; the FISH Food Pantry in Carpentersville; BACOA Meals with Wheels; Wauconda-Island Lake Food Pantry; Project HOPE; and the People in Need program of the Barrington Area Ministerial Association.
To learn more, visit www.crophungerwalk.org/barringtonil or contact Linda Osikowicz, barringtoncropwalk@yahoo.com. Visit and like the Barrington Area CROP Hunger Walk on Facebook, too.
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