On Sunday, 358 caring souls walked to help stop hunger both locally and worldwide.
Individuals from 15 area churches and one preschool participated in the annual CROP Walk held at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church on Waldon Road in Orion Township.
Participants collected pledges prior to the event, then walked either a two-mile or six-mile route surrounding the church.
Pledges totalling $26,509 were turned in Sunday, according to CROP Walk Treasurer Sandra Weaver, of the Lake Orion United Methodist Church (UMC),
CROP Walk Coordinator Janis Solack, also of Lake Orion UMC, estimated an additional $4,000 to $5,000 in donations will be submitted in the coming days.
‘To me one of the most exciting and special things about the CROP Walk is the way our communities have come together for a common purpose, to celebrate all that we have and to give back a portion to those that need our help,? Solack said.
Some participants went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to fund-raising.
Rochester residents Larry and Elaine Watson, who walked as part of Thomas UMC’s team, raised $1,837. The couple has been participating in the CROP Walk for 16 years.
Lake Orion residents John and Signe Jarvis, who walked on behalf of Christ the Redeemer, raised $1,081. They have participated in the walk for 12 years.
Oxford Middle School eighth-grader Spencer Cocking, who walked as part of Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ’s team, raised an impressive $543.
Seventy-five percent of the funds raised by the CROP Walk go to the Church World Service, which uses the money to relieve world hunger, provide emergency aid in disasters, aid refugees, provide safe drinking water, promote health care and sanitation, improve farming methods and train people to help themselves.
The remaining 25 percent stays local with 15 percent going to Oxford/Orion FISH, 5 percent to St. Vincent DePaul in Pontiac and 5 percent to the Baldwin Avenue Center.
Churches participating in this year’s CROP Walk included Christ the King, Christ the Redeemer, Community of Christ, Dominican Sisters, Howarth UMC, Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ, King of Kings Lutheran, Lakeville UMC, Lake Orion UMC, Oxford UMC, Paint Creek UMC, St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Mary’s in the Hills Episcopal Church and Thomas UMC.
New to the CROP Walk this year were St. Trinity Lutheran Church in Clarkston and Sunny Day Preschool in Lake Orion.