There are countries in the world in which the hungry must walk miles at a time for fresh food and water, and on Sunday, May 3, Moorestown residents will have the chance to simulate that struggle while raising money to end such plights with the annual Moorestown CROP Walk.
With the theme of “Ending Hunger One Step at a Time,” CROP Hunger Walks are events in which money is raised to combat world hunger through participants walking one-, three- or five-mile distances to simulate the distances in which the disadvantaged must walk in some countries for clean water and food.
The money raised through CROP Hunger Walks is sent to Church World Service, the charitable Christian ministry group of 37 denominations, which provides food to those in need around the world, as well as providing tools to allow those in need to sustain themselves with donations such as seeds, agricultural tools, technical training and wells and water systems.
Mae Trebing of Saint Matthew’s Lutheran Church, overall event coordinator for this year’s Moorestown event, described the event as a simple way to raise money for those who need it while learning what they have to deal with on a daily basis.
“A lot of people in the world have to walk long distances to get food and water,” Trebing said. “It’s a shame that more countries don’t pay more attention to that, but kids deserve nice, clean water.”
According to Church World Service, more than 2,000 communities in the United States come together for more than 1,600 CROP Hunger Walks each year.
Trebing said since 1974, the Moorestown event has raised almost $558,000, and of that, more than $136,000 has actually stayed in Moorestown to support hunger-related programs through local food pantries at Saint Matthew’s, Moorestown First Baptist and Bethel A.M.E.
“Basically, one quarter of the money raised in Moorestown stays in Moorestown,” Trebing said. “The more money we raise to send to Church World Service, the more stays in Moorestown.”
For the May 3 event, walkers will sign-in beginning at 1 p.m. at Saint Matthew’s Lutheran Church, with walkers leaving at 1:30 p.m.
During the walk, water and bathroom facilities will be available at checkpoints, with refreshments available for the walkers when they return to St. Matthew’s.
Those interested in participating can sign up by contacting one of the Moorestown congregations sponsoring the event — Trinity Episcopal, First United Methodist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian, St. Matthew’s Lutheran, Bethel A.M.E or Friends Meeting.
Walkers can also sign up online at www.crophungerwalk.org/ moorestownnj, where they can also donate money to sponsor a specific walker or learn of other ways to get involved with the event.
“I tell people ‘give until it feels good,’” Trebing said. “People say ‘give until it hurts,’ but I say ‘give until it feels good.’ I tell people, ‘if you can walk, here’s a folder, if you can’t, sponsor somebody.’”
