By Sue Moore
The passion demonstrated by people like Brad Addis of the Vicksburg United Methodist Church is what keeps the annual CROP walk in the forefront in the community, according to Pastor Buff Coe.
The church will sponsor the 21st annual CROP Hunger Walk, at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 26.
It will once again provide money for the South County Community Services food pantry, recipient of over $45,000 over the life of the Walk. Members of the church participate along with any other interested individuals, according to Addis. Organizers also ask the community to pledge money for the walkers. In the last 20 years, over $181,000 has been raised right here in Vicksburg to feed the hungry all over the world, he pointed out.
For every person who obtains a registration and collects at least $25, there is an anonymous donor who will give another $5 in the church’s name.
The CROP Hunger Walks are community fundraising events sponsored by Church World Service (CWS), an international relief, development, and refugee resettlement agency. They provide food, medical care, disaster relief, and self-help development for needy people around the world, Addis said.
“Our goal is participation. We want to get folk involved any way they would like to, not just walking. If they want to walk, jog, run, rock in a rocking chair, be a cheerleader at a street corner, bake cookies for the event, or be a prayer partner, we are open to just about any kind of participation you could imagine,” Addis pointed out. “We are also thankful for the many community businesses that support us as well. We are grateful.”
“CROP” is an acronym: Christian Rural Overseas Program. CWS on its website says it has “outgrown” the word as an acronym, but points out that the program began as a way to donate excess grain to the hungry in post-war Europe and Asia.