Crop Walks 

Long Beach Area CROP Hunger Walk

Sunday, October 24, 2010 2:00 p.m. start
Los Altos United Methodist Church
5950 E. Willow St., Long Beach
1:00 p.m. - Registration Begins
1:45 p.m. - Rally & Pep Talk
2:00 p.m. - Start of 2010 Walk

There will be both 5K and 10K walking routes to welcome participation from all age groups. Charities benefited include Catholic Charities, Centro Shalom, St. Francis Center, Christian Outreach in Action, We Care and Casa Family Crisis & Support Center.  For more information please call 562-433-3881.

You are invited to the **Recruiters Rally**
Wednesday, September 1 at 7:00 p.m.
at Los Altos UMC, 5950 E. Willow St., Long Beach.
This rally is for local congregation/ faith community “recruiters” who plan to sign up walkers and make sure that all donations are collected. Materials pertaining to the CROP Walk will be handed out and refreshments will be served.

2011 Peninsula Harbor CROP Hunger Walk

Spring of 2011, 1:00 p.m. Start
Point Fermin Park, San Pedro
Gaffey St. & Paseo Del Mar
Contact (310) 378-1953 for more information

CWS/CROP Registration 501(c)(3) Non-Profit

All contributions are Tax deductible
Tax ID # 13-5562417

Twenty five percent of the funds raised in the Peninsula-Harbor CROP Hunger Walk go to local programs working to alleviate hunger and homelessness.

CROP Hunger Walks allow sponsors to select reputable local and international agencies other than Church World Service as recipients of the funds they donate, including Centro Shalom (SCIC program), Catholic Relief Services, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, CARE, Heifer Project International, Islamic American Relief Agency and others.

FAQs

What does CROP stand for?

When CROP began in 1947 (under the wing of Church World Service, which was founded in 1946), the name was an acronym for the Christian Rural Overseas Program.  Its primary mission was to help Midwest farm families to share their grain with hungry neighbors in post-World War II Europe and Asia. Reflective of a program that for several decades has been both urban and rural, CROP is no longer an acronym*; it is the name given to community, interfaith hunger education and fundraising events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by 22 CWS/CROP regional offices across the U.S.

*In some CWS/CROP regions, CROP has come to mean Communities Reaching Out to People.

When was the first CROP WALK?

On October 17, 1969, a thousand people in Bismarck, ND walked in the first-ever CROP WALK and raised $25,000 to help stop hunger. Several other CROP WALKS occurred soon thereafter, and before long there were hundreds of CROP WALKS each year in communities nationwide.

How many CROP WALKS are there?

Each year, nearly 2,000 communities across the U.S. sponsor CROP WALKS.

Where do CROP WALK funds go?

CROP WALKS help to support the overall ministry of Church World Service, especially the grassroots, hunger-fighting development efforts of partner agencies in more than 80 countries. CROP WALKS help to provide tools of hope that empower people to meet their own needs. From seeds and tools, to wells and water systems, providing nutrition-enhancing Moringa trees, technical training and micro-enterprise loans, the key is people working together to identify their own development priorities, strengths and needs.  This is something CWS ha excelled at through 58 years of working in partnership around the world.  In addition, each local CROP WALK can choose to return up to 25 percent of the funds it raises to local hunger-fighting programs.

How do CROP WALKS help out here at home?

This year CROP WALKS will share nearly $4 million with local food banks, pantries, community gardens, and other local efforts nationwide. This support is made possible when local CROP WALKS choose our unique option of returning up to 25 percent of what their CROP WALK raises to hunger-fighting programs in their own community.

What else makes CROP WALKS special?

Because CROP WALKS are ecumenical, interfaith and multi-cultural events, individual donors have the option of designating their gifts to other approved international hunger-fighting agencies. This option is unique to CROP events and available for individual sponsors only. Gifts not so designated go towards the support the worldwide ministry of Church World Service.

How do I go about starting a CROP WALK in my community?

Call your CWS/CROP Regional Office, toll-free at 1-888-CWS-CROP (1-888-297-2767) to find out about the CROP WALK nearest you. If there isn't a CROP WALK in your area, your CWS/CROP Regional Office has all the expertise and free promotional materials to help you take the first steps to a organizing a successful and fulfilling CROP WALK.

What is Church World Service?

Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations, providing sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance in more than 80 countries.

Within the U.S., Church World Service assists communities in responding to disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources, and offers opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring through participation in CROP WALKS, the TOOLS & BLANKETS Program, and the "Gift of the Heart" Kit Program.

Whether in CROP WALKS or through congregational and/or denominational giving, individual giving, grants, wills, or charitable gift annuities, people and groups who support the work of Church World Service give in a spirit of oneness with neighbors near and far.

Are corporations and businesses involved in CROP WALKS?

Nationally, upwards of 200 corporations match employee gifts and/or volunteer hours to the CROP WALK. Locally, thousands of businesses and media outlets support their community's CROP WALK, providing T-shirts and other supplies, turning out teams of Walkers in addition to many other ways too numerous to list.

How much of each dollar contributed goes toward overhead?

Over the last five years, on average just over 18.5% of the funds contributed to Church World Service has gone to management, fund raising, and information sharing.

Besides the CROP WALK, does Church World Service have other opportunities for mission outreach?

Yes. The TOOLS & BLANKETS Program offers congregations and groups a way to share "tools" both large and small with children and families in need, including blankets, bedding, tents and other shelter items when an emergency or natural disaster occurs. Congregations and groups also get involved through the "Gift of the "Heart" Kit Program, which provides recovery kits such as Health Kits, School Kits, Baby Kits, Clean-up Buckets, and the new Heart-to-Heart Kids Kits that make a world of difference in emergency situations or areas of ongoing great need.

Information on any or all of these outreach opportunities can be yours by calling toll-free 1-888-CWS-CROP (1-888-297-2767).

CROP WALKS and Tsunami Relief

The devastation wrought by the Tsunami on December 26, 2004 staggers our imagination and burdens our hearts.  Indeed, there was so much loss of innocent life. Stirred by compassion, millions of people around the world are responding to the suffering. From girl scouts troops to the United Nations, in ways great and small, individuals, groups, and nations are reaching out to help. Church World Service is grateful to be one vehicle of that heartfelt response.

The contributions we receive to our Tsunami Recovery appeal are helping us respond to both the immediate needs and the long-term recovery of these shattered communities. It is important to remember, however, that the reason CWS was able to make such a swift and effective response to this disaster (within hours) is in large part because of the on-going support raised by communities across this nation through CROP WALKS.

CROP WALKS form the foundation for the work of Church World Service; without them we would not be in a position to respond. Thanks to that support we had longstanding programs in the area (Indonesia, Pakistan, and Laos) with staff trained in emergency response and well-established relationships with partner agencies across the region. Thanks to CROP WALKS we also had emergency medical supplies, blankets, kits and other resources pre-positioned in Asia, ready at a moment's notice.

Thanks to CROP WALKS, we'll be ready when the next emergency occurs. And finally, thanks to CROP WALKS we are at work in over 80 countries responding to the silent tsunamis of hunger, poverty, and disease that may not make the evening news, but shatter lives as surely as a tidal wave.

For information call Jan Gardner 310-378-1953
or Jim Stanbury 310-832-6573.