Volunteers Will Hit the Pavement to Help Neighbors in Need

A tradition for the past 25 Octobers continues when the South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk steps off Sunday, Oct. 16.

The annual South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk raises money to support hunger and poverty alleviation programs around the world through Church World Service (CWS).

The walk will begin and end at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 4501 Main St., Downers Grove, across from Downers Grove North High School. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. and the walk will start at 2 p.m. after a short program.

All CROP hunger walks operate as an arm of CWS. The walk also raises funds to support hunger relief agencies within the local community. In 2010, the South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk raised nearly $27,000, bringing the total amount collected in its first 25 years to $600,000, with $150,000 going to local hunger relief agencies.

Local agencies that are being supported this year include:

• The ,
• Northern Illinois Food Pantry,
• ,
• Lisle Township Food Pantry,
• West Suburban Community Pantry,
• The People’s Resource Center’s Westmont Food Pantry,
• Meals on Wheels and
• .

There are many CROP Hunger Walks across the Chicago area and more than 2,000 within the U.S., raising a total of more than $10 million annually. However, each walk is a local event, organized entirely by local volunteers. The South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk encompasses the communities of Downers Grove, Lisle, Westmont, Darien and Woodridge.

The South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk brings together churches, schools, civic organizations, local hunger agencies and businesses in a single fundraiser. Each year, between 200 and 300 walkers from about 15 organizations in the five communities participate. The walk is open to anyone who would like to take part, and individual walkers are welcome and encouraged to join in.

CROP Hunger Walks are concerned with hunger and poverty next door, across the country and across the oceans. CWS is presently helping those affected by the severe drought in the Horn of Africa, as well as helping with relief efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. CWS also is working along the eastern seaboard in the wake of the damage done by Hurricane Irene and on disaster relief efforts and agricultural improvement projects in 80 countries.

The walk route is a loop approximately 6 kilometers long, which leads participants south on Main Street through the business district of Downers Grove. An alternative 1-kilometer route is available for those unable to walk distances.

Special incentives and prizes will be presented to walkers depending upon the level of donations raised. Persons raising $150 will receive a CROP Hunger Walk mug and those raising $200 will receive a CROP Hunger Walk lapel pin. Tote bags will be given to all participants while supplies last.

Additional information about the South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk is available at dgfumc.org/cropwalk. Individuals or groups interested in participating in this year’s walk should contact Angela Loveless at 630- 548-1899 or at sdpcrop@sbcglobal.net. More information about CWS and other CROP Hunger Walks is available at churchworldservice.org, or by calling the CWS/CROP regional office toll-free at 888-297-2767.