Community Corner

South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk Raises $25,000

Volunteers' fundraising efforts help local and global anti-hunger programs.

The efforts of 210 participants raised more than $25,000 Oct. 16 for the 26th annual South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk.

The money will help the Church World Service (CWS) “make a difference in the developing countries in Africa,” said Walk coordinator Angela Lawless. The length of the walk, 3.2 miles, represents the distance many Africans have to walk to get clean water, she said. “Then they have to walk 3.2 miles back.”

The annual Walk raises money to support hunger and poverty alleviation programs throughout the world. A total of 25 percent of the funds raised are used to help the local community. The local agencies that will receive money are: the Walk-In Ministry of Hope, Northern Illinois Food Pantry, Downers Grove FISH, Lisle Township Food Pantry, West Suburban Community Pantry, The People’s Resource Center’s Westmont Food Pantry and Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) sites in Downers Grove.

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Added to the recipients this year is Meals on Wheels.

There are many CROP Hunger Walks across Chicagoland 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, Westmont, Darien, Woodridge and Lisle.

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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 is also working along the eastern seaboard in the wake of the damage done by Hurricane Irene.

The walk route began and ended at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 4501 Main St., Downers Grove, across from Downers Grove North High School. An alternate shorter rough was available for those unable to walk distances.

Additional information about the South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk is available at dgfumc.org/cropwalk.


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