Westmoreland CROP Hunger Walks aim to address local, global poverty
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Volunteers and community residents with an eye toward helping others will gather next month in Murrysville and Penn Township to take part in the annual CROP Hunger Walk.
“CROP” stands for “Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty,” and donation proceeds from thousands of walks across the country are divided between local food pantries and the Church World Service, a nonprofit started shortly after World War II that works to feed the hungry and help those in need.
This year will mark the 42nd CROP Walk in Murrysville, although last year organizer Roger Schneider said, like so many others, his group was forced to do a virtual walk because of the pandemic.
“At our church, and so many others, we weren’t doing anything in-person, and I thought it would be a disaster,” Schneider said.
Instead, they had their best year yet, raising about $11,000 and nearly doubling the previous high of $6,700.
“We were using a secure website for donations, and they really encouraged everyone to reach out using social media and set up things like Facebook fundraisers,” Schneider said. “I was really surprised.”
This year’s Murrysville CROP Hunger Walk will take place Oct. 10, with walkers meeting around 1 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church, 4725 Old William Penn Highway, before heading down to First Presbyterian Church and back again.
Due to ongoing covid-19 concerns, everything will take place outdoors this year.
“We’re doing all our registration online in advance,” Schneider said. “And, where we’d normally have an event with food in the social hall in previous years, we’re just trying to keep it as safe as we possibly can.”
The same goes for the Rev. John Titus from First United Church of Christ and other organizers of the 21st Penn Trafford CROP Hunger Walk. They did not hold a virtual event in 2020, but will bring it aboard as an option this year at their Oct. 17 walk.
“It’s an opportunity to give back, both locally and globally,” Titus said. “Church World Service is especially helpful with regard to developing countries that are having problems with sustainability or getting clean drinking water. But they’ve also responded to recent disasters like the earthquake in Haiti and the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.”
Locally, 25% of the proceeds from the events will go to local food pantries. In Murrysville, it will be split between the Loaves and Fishes pantry operated out of Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church, and the Westmoreland County Food Bank’s two Murrysville distribution sites.
In Penn Township and Trafford, it will be split between the Trafford Food Bank and St. Barbara Parish’s Food Bank.
The Penn Trafford walk will be held at Bushy Run Battlefield, 1253 Bushy Run Road in Penn Township.
“We have a prospective Eagle Scout from Troop 230 out of the church, Bryce Little, who’s helping with promotion, setting up the course at Bushy Run, and handing out water and directing people as part of his Eagle project,” Titus said.
Registration for the Penn Trafford walk will begin at 1:30 p.m., and the walk will kick off at 2 p.m. with a 3.5-mile walk, a shorter version, and the virtual walk.
Schneider said he hopes to see the same generosity that donors put forth in 2020.
“People were so generous, knowing that there are a lot of folks hurting nowadays,” he said.
More than 2,000 teams have registered nationwide to participate in CROP Hunger Walks. For more, see Events.CropHungerWalk.org/2021.