From contributing writer Barbara Locks:
Our 31st Annual Chelsea/Dexter Area CROP Hunger Walk, Sunday, Oct. 7, raised just short of $24,000 this year! Dexter United Methodist Church raised more than $7,870 of this total. We had three families with young children who raised more than $250 each. One 4th grader went door to door in her community, and raised more than $258, including many donations of $10.00 or less.
Church World Service (CWS) works around the world to end hunger. The first CROP Walk, 50 years ago, was the first walk ever in the United States to raise funds for charity! Their model has been copied countless times, because when people believe in a cause, positive results happen.
To everyone who supported this year’s CROP Hunger Walk thank YOU for:
- Feeding hungry people in the United States and globally. 795 million people worldwide do not have enough food to lead a healthy, active life. That is more than 10% of the world’s population. When children do not have the nutrients they need to thrive, their growth is stunted. CWS provides micro-nutrient packets to children in many areas of need. They also provide seeds, training and tools to grow vegetable gardens. 25% of funds raised stay in the Chelsea/Dexter area to help people through Faith in Action.
- Providing help when disasters strike. Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes: CWS is one of the first organizations to help, and one of the very last to leave. CWS was formed in response to an emergency and responding to emergencies remains a cornerstone of what they do.
- Giving a voice to underserved communities. CWS staff works with communities to identify their needs, and accompanies them as they craft and maintain sustainable, local solutions. When people have a voice, they can believe in their future because it is not from the outside, it is from within.
- Helping to develop safe and sanitary water resources. Girls and women spend many hours every day collecting water, sometimes from miles away. CWS works with communities to build sustainable sand dams, deep bore wells, and other water resources. They also educate families about the need for sanitation. Far too many people, especially children, are ill from causes that are totally preventable with sanitation.
- Providing training for people, helping them to grow healthy gardens, and sharing ideas for marketing. If women farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of hungry in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million. CWS provides training to women around the world.
- Assisting with refugee resettlement. CWS works with a network of churches, organizations and individuals that assist uprooted persons who have had to flee their countries.
Many thanks to Kathie Gourlay for her many years of leadership for the Chelsea/Dexter Area CROP Hunger Walk.
Check out the website for more information about CROP Hunger Walks https://www.crophungerwalk.org/
Next year our walk is in Dexter, Sunday October 6. Join us! You may join as individuals, as a team, or join a group that is already participating. Chelsea High School has a team, and several area businesses have formed teams. Private Message Barbara Locks, Chelsea/Dexter Area CROP Team Leader for information on how YOU can help make a difference.
