Participants in the annual CROP Hunger Walk are taking the Trump administration’s freeze on USAID’s spending personally.
Here’s why: In the 41 years this annual event has been held, CROP walkers, in what they call Hunger Walkathon West, have raised over $2 million to feed hungry people at home and abroad.
While President Trump’s values focus on America first, most of the CROP walkers are church people motivated by compassion.
“When I walk,” said Mary Scherer, “I think of people in other countries who must walk for miles to get food and clean water.”
Of the $70,000 raised in the 2024 walk, 25% went to food pantries and nonprofits in this area, and the rest goes to Church World Service (CWS). CROP is a widely recognized brand in this area, but Church World Service (CWS), the umbrella nonprofit to which 75% of the money raised by the 2,000 CROP walks in the U.S., is not as well known, so here’s a little background.
Seventeen Christian denominations united to create Church World Service in the years after World War II when much of Europe looked like Gaza does today. At first, farmers would donate a percentage of their harvest and CWS would ship the food to war-torn Europe. Hence the acronym CROP, Christian Rural Overseas Project.
“In our early days,” their website reports, “the CWS family mobilized more than 11 million pounds of food, clothing and medical supplies for war-torn Europe and Asia.”
What feels so familiar is that 80 years ago CWS began welcoming refugees from across the pond “who were looking to start new lives in safety, resettling more than 100,000 refugees in our first 10 years.”
Lauren Brightmore, the Development and Event coordinator for Beyond Hunger, said, “The CROP Hunger Walk has been a vital source of support, providing nutritious food to families during a time of unprecedented need in our communities. Last year alone, funds from the walk helped provide 2,900 meals. We are proud to be a longtime partner in this impactful effort, working together to reduce food in and security.
“We get USDA commodities and we’ve received ad hoc funding from the state but not on a regular basis. And beyond the CDBG grant, the majority of the funds raised are through individual donors and private foundations.”
And the rest goes to Church World Service (CWS).
Celine Woznica, a member of the Leadership Team of the Oak Park Migrant Ministry, tells a story that connects the local work, which the CROP walks help fund, with the work done around the world, using the 75% of funds the walkers raise.
Realizing that CWS was one of the organizations that supported her Venezuelan partners, Celine asked them, “Would you like to walk with us?”
When last year’s CROP Hunger Walk day finally came, she didn’t expect too many of the Venezuelans to show up, but to her surprise, 18 Venezuelan men, women and children arrived at Pilgrim Church, where the walk always begins, carrying signs that said, “Thank you, CWS, for feeding migrants on our way north.”
Gaza and Ukraine are not local, but they feel that way because we have gotten to know them so well through constant coverage by the media. Money raised by Hunger Walkathon West is being used to address the needs of people in those war-ravaged countries and Church World Service is one of the few NGOs left, but what is important to understand is that although money raised by CROP walks is vital, the majority of CWS funding comes from USAID. Think of CWS has the hose and USAID as the faucet.
Last year CWS received $186,438,735 or 84.6% of its budget from the federal government. USAID relies on nonprofits like CWS to distribute foreign aid because they have been on the ground a long time, know the needs of the people, and know what they are doing. CWS depends on the federal government because of its vast resources, and no one seems to get bent of shape by separation of church and state considerations.
For Holly Katz, simply writing a check is not as meaningful as actually getting off her couch and walking.
“The Crop Walk,” she explained, “creates a unique space for my family and me to participate in meaningful mission and fundraising work together. It is a jumping-off point to talk to my kids, kindergarten and second grade, about food insecurity that exists in our own community, the importance of caring for others, and what it means to come together with other people to raise money for an important purpose.”
You could say that CROP walkers have put their hearts and “soles” into the fundraiser, which this year will be held on May 4.
