South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk

Sunday October 15, 2023

Total Money Raised So Far in 2023: $33,626.74

See the Results Page for more details.

We Walk Because They Walk!

• 795 million people worldwide do not have enough food to lead a healthy, active life.
• 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.
• 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world.
• Hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
• 1 out of 6 children - roughly 100 million - in developing countries is underweight..

How can you help?

Join the South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk! The South DuPage community have raised over $970,000 over the past 37 years through holding this annual CROP Hunger Walk, which helps to support the grassroots, hunger-fighting development efforts of Church World Service (CWS) partner agencies in more than 80 countries.

CROP Hunger Walks help to provide tools of hope that empower people to meet their own needs. From seeds and tools, to wells and water systems, to nutrition-enhancing Moringa trees, to technical training and micro-enterprise loans, the key is people working together to identify their own development priorities--something CWS has learned through 58 years of working in partnership around the world.

When CROP began in 1947 it was an acronym for the Christian Rural Overseas Program to help Midwest farm families share their grain with hungry neighbors in post- World War II Europe. The first CROP Hunger Walk was held in Bismarck, North Dakota in 1969. Each year, some 2,000 communities across the U.S. sponsor CROP Hunger Walks. Nationally, upwards of 200 corporations match employee gifts and/or volunteer hours to the CROP Hunger Walk. Locally, thousands of businesses and media outlets support their community's CROP Hunger Walk.

Who walks?

• More than 5 million CROP Hunger Walkers in past 20 years.
• 68% are over 18, average age is 33.5.
• 73% of participants say fighting hunger locally and globally is their key reason for taking part.
• 53% say the CROP Hunger Walk is the only sponsored activity in which they participate.

How much money is raised?

• In the last 20 years, over $300 million has been gathered by CROP Hunger Walkers.
• Last year, over 100,000 walkers raised more than $7,500,000 in the U.S.
• Since 1986, over $970,000 has been raised by the South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk.
• Since 1986, over $240,000 has been raised for local hunger agencies in DuPage County.
• In 2022, over $31,000 was raised by the South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk.

Who benefits?

• 75% of the money supports the hunger programs of the Church World Service (the outreach arm of the National Council of Churches).
• 25% of the money supports local hunger agencies, including Downers Grove FISH, Hope's Front Door, Lisle Township Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, People's Resource Center (Westmont Pantry), and West Suburban Community Pantry.

How is the money raised?

• Schools, churches and civic organizations recruit walkers who solicit donations.
• Local businesses become sponsors by contributing funds.

How do I join?

You may join the CROP Hunger Walk either as an individual, or as a member of one of the many participating local churches and organizations. You can see last year's list of organizations on the South DuPage results page.

• If you choose to walk as an individual, please contact the South DuPage coordinator, Kristin Schultz, in order to obtain a donation envelope
  
  -and/or-
  
  sign up online.
   
• Otherwise, obtain a donation envelope from your church or organization's local coordinator.

Online Registration

You can now receive credit card donations online, in addition to collecting donations by hand.

• Visit the South DuPage Online Sign-Up Page.
• Click to join a team set up by one of the participating churches or organizations or register as an individual walker.
• E-mail friends and relatives to ask them to sponsor you.

How do I donate?

Donate to a walker

If you know someone participating in the CROP Hunger Walk, please sponsor them to help eliminate hunger in the world. 

Donate online

Visit the South DuPage Online Donations Page or click on one of the team links on the left sidebar of this page. You can search for a walker by their name or sponsor a team.

Thank you for helping to make a difference in the world!

Contacts

South DuPage CROP Hunger Walk Coordinator
   Kristin Schultz southdupagecrop@gmail.com
Treasurer
   Ray Osborn, 630/515-8418