Hunger Walk in Port Chester Gathers Food, Cash to Help Pantries

More than 250 walkers and volunteers with balloons and placards hit the road for a two mile walk, raising funds to combat worldwide and local hunger in the fourth Greenwich/Port Chester CROP Hunger Walk.

The First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich was again the kick-off point of the walk, with registration, educational videos, refreshments and a rally. The pre-walk activities this year also featured a stretching warm-up led by trainer Peter Deleary of “The Fitness Edge,” and included displays by Port Chester's Carver Center, Neighbor to Neighbor, “One World,” and “The Pet Pantry”  - with treats for the canine walkers.

The walk started from First Presbyterian church, included a rest/refreshment stop at Boy Scout Headquarters on Mason Street, and concluded at Christ Church, where walkers were welcomed back with a thank you lapel pin gift - a miniature sneaker - refreshments, and camaraderie with fellow walkers.

More than $14,000 has been tallied by walk treasurers to date, but the goal of $20,000 has not yet been reached. However, donations to the 2013 walk can still be made. This can be done by check made out to “CWS/CROP” or cash donations mailed to walk treasurer Ken Nilsen, c/o All Souls Parish, 55 Parkway Drive, Port Chester, NY 10573. 

Donations can also be placed in local church offering plates, marked for delivery to First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich.  Online donations may be made at www.crophungerwalk.org/greenwichct through the month of May.

Funds raised from CROP Hunger Walks help support the many worldwide programs of Church World Service and the work of two local organizations, Neighbor to Neighbor in Greenwich and Carver Center in Port Chester. In addition to raising money, food donations were collected on walk day and distributed to the Neighbor to the Neighbor and Carver Center Food Pantries. 

Participants in the 2013 walk included All Souls Presbyterian Church of Port Chester, First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Rye Brook, First Congregational Church of Greenwich, Christ Church of Greenwich, First United Methodist Church of Greenwich, First Lutheran Church of Greenwich, Round Hill Community Church and Second Congregational Church of Greenwich.  Also participating in the walk were the Greenwich Retired Men’s Association, students from Greenwich and Port Chester, Connecticut State Representative Fred Camillo and Greenwich Selectman David Theis.  

The walk coordinating team is already planning for the 2014 walk.