More than 600 local residents turned out on a busy Sunday afternoon in October for the 31st annual Naperville Area CROP Hunger Walk at Grace United Methodist Church to help end hunger one step at a time.
With donations still being received and counted, the early tally for the 2013 Walk was close to $50,000. CROP Walk proceeds benefit those in need locally through the efforts of Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry and Northern Illinois Food Bank, as well as hungry people around the globe through the work of Church World Service.
Mayor George Pradel, Honorary Chair for the event, thanked attendees for walking in solidarity with hungry people at home and around the world at the Rally in the church parking lot.
Pastor Mark Juliot of Alleluia! Lutheran Church, donned a Captain America costume to encourage participation in the CROP Walk at his church.
Walkers who raised $50 or more received an attractive “Ending Hunger One Step at a Time” T-Shirt. Walk organizers are particularly proud of this year’s T-Shirt, which was specially designed by Kimberly Saunders-Thomas, a student at C.O.D. in Professor Brain Blevins’ Graphic Design Class. Saunders-Thomas said she wanted the design to show how the CROP Hunger Walk is a combined effort and represents walking in unison with those who travel miles every day for water and food.
“I wanted to keep the design simple with bold colors and have the words incorporated into the graphics,” she added.
Every year more than 2,000 communities across the U.S. host the CROP Hunger Walk, which the L.A. Times has called the “granddaddy of all Walks,” and Naperville is proud to be counted among them.
CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. In the past 30 years, Naperville Area CROP Walk has raised a total of $1,207,702 in the fight against hunger.
For more information about future events or to donate for this important cause, visit www.napervillecropwalk.org.
