Join us on April 23rd for our annual South Bay CROP Hunger Walk, sponsored by Church World Service (CWS)! With its inception in 1969, CROP Hunger Walks are viewed by many as the granddaddy of charity walks. The walk’s legacy is deeply entrenched even in our own community; since 1993, our community has raised over $1.2 million through 70+ local groups. We walk to respond to resource shortages, to protect and provide for our vulnerable, to build sustainable community, and to show solidarity in a time of divisiveness. We choose to walk so that others don’t have to.

Why do we walk each year? We know that by bringing food to families in times of scarcity and by bringing water to communities in times of drought, we are helping people both in our own community and around the world reclaim their livelihoods so they aren’t forced to look elsewhere. On CWS’s side of things, the need is greater than ever this year to stand together as we seek to preempt the extreme situations that prevent displacement and refugee status. Given the current climate, we are attentive that we may need to increase capacity of resources in refugee camps/services so that food, water and shelter can continue to be safely and sustainably provided to those who are vulnerable. CROP walks are an incredibly meaningful outlet to providing these resources (and the flexibility to respond), with symbolism in the walk itself at a time when an unprecedented number of people do, indeed, have to walk for resources and safety. There is power in a walk.