Lititz CROP Hunger Walk Steps Up as Government Cuts Fuel Hunger at Home and Abroad
Local interfaith event mobilizes to keep food on tables and sustain global lifelines amid deep cuts to SNAP/Medicaid and foreign assistance.
The Lititz CROP Hunger Walk will take place on Sunday, October 26 to help neighbors facing hunger around the block and around the world. With recent cuts to federal nutrition, healthcare, and humanitarian aid programs, organizers say this year’s Walk is more urgent than ever. The planning team has set a goal of 25 Walkers and $5,500 raised. A portion of funds will support Warwick Community HUB here in Lititz, with the balance supporting CWS (Church World Service) programs worldwide. The 1 or 3 mile walk will begin and end at Lititz Church of the Brethren, 300 West Orange Street. Registration begins at 1pm and the walk starts at 1:30pm.

“Did you know that the current poverty rate for the Warwick School District is 35.40%?* Everything we do at the Hub is aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty in our community. The Hub is stepping into these opportunities by building relationships in the areas of housing support, food security, and community connections.” – Warwick Community HUB, http://www.warwick-hub.org (*As measured by the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced lunches in the Warwick School District.) lunches in the Warwick School District

Across the United States, reductions to key safety net programs - including SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, and the Child Tax Credit - are pushing more families to seek help from community food programs. At the same time, the withdrawal of U.S. foreign assistance has shuttered lifesaving services abroad, leaving organizations like CWS to keep vital food, health, and shelter programs running in refugee and crisis-affected communities.
“The abrupt halt of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the freezing of foreign assistance will have dire consequences for many of the communities where CWS is at work,” said Jon Skogen, National Community Event Manager at CWS. “These policies will leave a vacuum in critical services. In some locations, CWS will be the only organization providing humanitarian assistance. The annual CROP Hunger Walks raise significant funds which are a critical foundation for all the work at CWS.”

What the CROP Hunger Walk makes possible
• Here at home: Funds help stock local food pantries and meal programs, support refugees and newcomers facing hunger, and bolster agencies strained by increased need following cuts to federal nutrition and health programs.
• Around the world: Donations sustain emergency food assistance, healthcare access in refugee settings, climate-smart agriculture, and long-term solutions that strengthen food security when public funding is withdrawn.
How to participate
• Register/Donate: https://events.crophungerwalk.org/crophungerwalks/event/lititzpa
• Form a Walk Team: Faith communities, schools, clubs, and businesses are encouraged to walk together.
• Can’t walk? Donate or sponsor a Walker; every step and dollar helps.
Last year, 19 Walkers raised $4,752 through the Lititz CROP Hunger Walk. Organizers hope to surpass that total this year to meet the growing need.

About CROP Hunger Walks
For more than five decades, CROP Hunger Walks have united neighbors of all faiths and backgrounds to raise funds and awareness to end hunger. Walks support local hunger fighting partners and the global work of CWS.
About Church World Service (CWS)
CWS is a global humanitarian and development organization working with communities to end hunger and poverty, respond to emergencies, support refugees and asylum seekers, and build a more just world for all. Learn more at http://www.cwsglobal.org.