It was a sunny and warm autumn day in Port Jefferson, NY. Hundreds of people crowded the streets for the town’s fall festival. On the lush lawn of Memorial Park there was live music and a crowd of a couple dozen people cheered for the band, while carrying signs and wearing a special stamp on their shirts. The stamp read “HELP STOP HUNGER”. The annual CROP Hunger Walk was about to take place, sponsored by the World Church Service.

Members of 6 parishes various denominations in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, had worked hard for a month prior to the walk to raise money and awareness for hunger issues worldwide. Twenty five percent of the raised funds were distributed to local pantries to assist with the growing local issue of hunger. Each parish had its own team, raising a total of $2320.00 online as a group.

2011 marked the first time ever St. John the Theologian Orthodox Church participated in the Hunger Walk. A team of about   10 walkers raised $425.00…more than forty percent of the suggested goal of $1000.00. One hundred and six dollars went to the Island Harvest Food Bank, the rest will be distributed the WCS around the world. A very impressive number for a small orthodox parish!

Six children from the Parish Sunday school, ranging from age 5 to 15, supported by adults, excitedly endured the two and a half mile walk up and down the streets of Port Jefferson.  For an hour and a half they were able to experience what children in third world country do on a daily basis just to supply drinking water for their families. Did you know that

• 1.02 billion People are undernourished worldwide – more than one of every seven people on the planet. World Food Program (WFP)

• Each day almost 16,000 children die from hunger related causes – one every five seconds. The Lancet

• Over 37 million Americans lived in poverty in 2007, about 12.5 percent of the population. Though most poor families in America are working families, the low wages earned by millions of Americans are not enough to cover the cost of housing, medical care, child care, transportation, clothing and food.

U.S. Census/Bread for the World Institute, Hunger 2009

• In November of 2008, over 31 million people used SNAP/Food Stamps —the second highest usage on record and an increase of 14.2 million from the year 2000. FRAC

Quietly and peacefully the walkers carried signs, bringing attention to the issue of hunger. At the conclusion of the walk, the entire group was received with cheers and applauds back at the Park, celebrating a mission well done.

It is really easy to participate or become involved with the Hunger Walk. It takes place every year in the fall and more information is available on the internet at https://secure2.convio.net/cws/site/SPageServer?pagename=crop_main

Donations and can be made online, and the fundraising campaign has been made really stress free with the assistance of internet based materials.

THANK YOU to all participants, walkers and money donors! We hope to turn this event into an annual tradition for St. John’s However, hunger is a problem all year long, and to see how you can make a difference in someone’s life, please visit http://www.churchworldservice.org

TOGETHER, WE CAN HELP STOP HUNGER IN A WORLD OF PLENTY…ONE PERSON AT A TIME!!!