Crop Walk planned

BETHEL — Local CROP (Communities Respond to Overcome Poverty) Walks help to relieve hunger here and around the world.

Walkers will walk 5k (three miles) around Bethel village on Sunday, September 30, at 12:30 p.m., starting at the West Parish Congregational Church.

It's the seventh annual CROP Walk in Bethel. Walkers are invited for a potluck luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at the church.

Twenty-five percent of the funds stay locally, going to the Bethel Food Bank. The remaining 75 percent supports the work of Church World Service. Church World Service partners with aide agencies around the world to provide disaster relief as well as long-term micro-loans and development projects in over 80 countries.

For example, Somalia and people in the Horn of Africa are living under the worst drought in 30 years. Living at such a marginal level means an incredible vulnerability to changes in climate, crop prices and health problems.

Church World Service aims to get at the root of the problems of poverty and hunger. Individual walkers may designate a different agency, like the Nazarene Compassionate Ministry.

This year the Bethel area and some 2,000 cities and towns nationwide are joining together in interfaith community CROP Hunger Walks around the theme "Ending Hunger One Step at a Time."

Many of the CROP walkers will be wearing CROP Walk t-shirts, proclaiming their solidarity with the millions of neighbors around the world who have to walk to live as well as with the millions served by local food pantries, food banks and meal sites here in the U.S.

For more information about the Bethel area CROP Walk, contact Jane Chandler at 357-3524.