MANSFIELD, Ohio – Participants from 18 area organizations will take part in the local edition of the Church World Service CROP Hunger Walk, which steps off at 2 p.m. Sunday from the Central Park Gazebo in downtown Mansfield.
Registration for the walk starts at 1:30 p.m. And according to local event coordinator Sharon Cardwell, the goal for this year’s walk is to raise $15,000 to help fight hunger in the area and globally.
She said 25 percent of the funds raised will stay in Richland County, aiding five local agencies.
“Of that 25 percent, this year it’s going to Mosaic Baptist Food Pantry, Grace Episcopal Food Pantry, First Christian Church Community Breakfast, St. Luke’s Point of Grace Saturday Meals, and the [North End Community Improvement Collaborative] Community Gardens,” said Cardwell, who is in her 12th year as coordinator of Mansfield’s Crop Walk.
Last year, more than 150 people participated in the local walk, which raised $13,565.86, and each of the supported local agencies received $678.
“We try to get between 150 and 200 people each year,” Cardwell said.
The walk, which is about 3 miles in length, will travel west on Park Ave. West to South Park and then will head south on Brinkerhoff Ave. to Maple St. From there it will go east to Marion Ave. and head back to Park Ave. West, ending at the Richland Carrousel Park.
Snacks and free rides on the carrousel will be provided to all who participate.
“It’s been around a long time,” Cardwell said of the CROP Walk. “It’s just important because, as you know, every agency that you see is begging for funds to help with their food pantries.”
Sponsored by the Mansfield Inter-Church Council, the walk will have gathering music provided by a Church World Service staff member, and the Rev. Greg Bibler, of First Christian Church, will offer a sendoff prayer.
Moreover, Cardwell said the walk will take place even with inclement weather.
For those who would like to donate to the cause but can’t attend the event, Cardwell said there are a few options.
“If they’re affiliated with a church that involved in the CROP Walk, there are walkers; and what they can do is sponsor a walker,” she said. “Each walker gets a donor’s envelope, and they try to raise money – it used to be per mile, now it’s just a donation.”
Another option for those who want to help is to contact Cardwell directly.
“I could give them somebody’s name that they could put money in for, or they can donate right to us,” she said.
Cardwell can be reached at by phone at 419-774-0123 or by email at sharoncardwell6@gmail.com.
In addition, the organization that raises the most for the walk will receive the Golden Tenny Award, a pair of golden baby shoes that serves as a trophy.
“The one that raises the most money gets that award for the year,” Cardwell said. “They keep it, and then we bring it back and give it to somebody else the following year.”
There also is a Silver and Bronze Tenny Award for second and third place, respectively.
First English Lutheran Church, located at 53 Park Ave. West, was the biggest contributor last year, raising more than $2,000.
CROP used to be an acronym for the Christian Rural Overseas Program. Its primary mission was to help farm families share their grain in post-World War II Europe and Asia, according to the CROP Walk’s website.
The walks help support the overall ministry of Church World Service, especially grassroots, hunger-fighting development efforts around the world.
For information on the CROP Walk or Church World Service, visit this website.
