2025 CROP Hunger Walk

Everyone is invited and welcome to walk in and contribute to the 12th Annual Champlain Islands CROP Hunger Walk, Sunday, October 5, 2025, 1 p.m., rain or shine. Sign in, gather, leave from and return to the Congregational Church of South Hero UCC, 24 South St., South Hero.

Contribute and invite and encourage friends, families, others to contribute.
On line: https://events.crophungerwalk.org/southherovt
Check: make out to CWS/CROP and bring to the Walk; drop off at the Congregational Church of South Hero UCC (CCSH) office; or mail to CCSH, P.O. Box 99, South Hero, VT 05486.
Cash: place in an envelope marked for the CROP Hunger Walk and bring to the Walk or drop off at the CCSH office.  Please DO NOT mail cash.
RMD from a retirement account or from a Donor Advised Fund: designate for the Champlain Islands 2025 CROP Hunger Walk. You can give directly to Church World Service or to CCSH. Church World Service contact information is at the on line site above. Tax Exempt ID, which you may need: 13-408201

Please make and bring a sign to carry at the Walk.
We have chosen a visible route. Some examples of what to put on signs: Healthy food for all. Clean Water for all. We Walk with those who must. Disease prevention. Disaster relief. Cuts to USAID = More need. Cuts to UDSA = More need. Federal cuts = more need. Etc. Check the CROP Walk website materials to generate more ideas. Be creative and share your ideas.

Route: CCSH to/from Bayview Crossing area.  Guy Maguire, Director of the South Hero Land Trust, will show us and speak about the work to control run-off into Keeler Bay, as well as other conservation projects.  We will walk past and perhaps still be able to see some plants in the lovely planters at Bay View Crossing.

Refreshments: Thanks to Margaret Nowak's efforts, along with others she capably enlists, refreshments will await us at CCSH on our return.

Our goal is to raise at least $11,000.
In 2024, Walkers and supporters raised a record $15,683, nearly $4,000 of which was returned to the Champlain Islands to be shared by our local hunger relief partners, the Champlain Islands Food Shelf and Food For Thought.
In 2025:
25% of our contributions are returned to our local hunger relief partner, the Champlain Islands Food Shelf. Because of State support for a summer food program on the Champlain Islands, Food for Thought decided that all of this year's CROP Hunger Walk money should support the Food Shelf.
75% of our contributions support hunger and disaster relief nationally (e.g., TX floods, CA wildfires, VT floods) and globally (e.g., a refugee camp on the Myanmar Cambodian border suffering from the loss of USAID food aid).
With the federal cuts in the amount of our tax dollars supporting USAID, other US federal food aid (e.g., to the VT Food Bank), and other US federal humanitarian programs, the need in 2025 is greater than ever. Please join the Walk, invite others to join and to give, and give as generously as you can.

With this one gift, you provide food, disease prevention, disaster relief, and other needed help to local, national, and international neighbors.

If you have questions or need more information, please see or contact the adult Planning Committee members:
Mark Kennedy (maylskenn@yahoo.com)
Cathy Rude (catherine.rude@yahoo.com)
Kaight Althoff (kaighta@gmail.com)
Judy Ayers (bjayers766@comcast.net)
Margaret Nowak (ccshvt@gmail.com)

Want to be part of a group? Check out the list of teams already started - or create your own!