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Every three days, a population the size of Albany dies of malnutrition. Every five seconds, a child dies of a hunger-related illness.

While Americans can walk into a supermarket and fill their carts with all the food they can consume in a week and more, most people in the world walk just to survive.

Douglas Anderson, upstate New York regional director of CROP Hunger Walks, which are coordinated through an ecumenical coalition known as Church World Service, described the plight of the poor and the displaced.

"Refugees must walk to save their lives," he said. "People must walk to get clean water. They walk to market their goods in a distant village. They walk to go to school if there is one. They walk to find needed medical care. They walk to gather firewood to cook tonight's meal."

In another few weeks, thousands will gather in communities across the Albany Diocese to raise money to alleviate global hunger. Churches, schools and civic organizations unite on common ground when the CROP Hunger Walks kick off their spring season.

Historically, area CROP Walks have raised more than $3 million, and one-quarter of the monies stay local to support food pantries and regional food banks, including those operated by Catholic parishes.

The Albany walk last year brought in more than $100,000 and was ranked eighth in the country. Schenectady was among the top 25.

Connie Smith, pastoral associate for faith formation at St. John the Baptist Church in Valatie, is using the local CROP Hunger Walk on May 2 as a service project which will conclude her ninth-grade students' study of the Corporal Works of Mercy.

St. John the Baptist is part of the Northern Columbia County Crop Walk group, which will start the walk at 2 p.m. from the Elks Club in Kinderhook.

Mrs. Smith is also encouraging the middle school and high school classes to select a team captain for each grade, invite their peers to participate in the walk and gather pledges and donations for the cause.

Mr. Anderson sees the CROP Walks as "a way that ordinary people say 'yes' to help others and identify with the world's poor and our neighborhood's poor and raise funds that put the muscle into the fight against hunger."

He remarked that the Gospel message urges people daily to live for others.

"The Church," he said, "speaks about justice and bids others of conscience in our society to come walk with us - and they do, every year, in the Capital District and in 1,700 USA communities annually."

On behalf of Church World Service, Mr. Anderson thanked Bishop Howard J. Hubbard for his leadership and "a wonderful diocese doing great things ecumenically."

When he meets with clergy groups, Mr. Anderson outlines his five-step plan to eradicate hunger: education; fundraising; addressing lifestyle issues "like where we spend our money, where we live, what we drive, what our priorities are;" non-partisan advocacy and Bible study - the latter, because "the Bible has a lot more to do with justice than with kindness."

He feels it is important to encourage intergenerational discussion where young people can express what kind of world they want to grow up in and challenge adults to consider what kind of world they are leaving behind.

"The venue," he said, "can be Confirmation classes or other faith formation programs. I think this kind of exchange can help revitalize the churches and attract young people."

St. John's will sign up walkers after masses during the weekends of April 18 and 25. Mrs. Smith said, "We often have whole family units participate, including babies in strollers!"

She added: "In these economic times, the food pantries are seeing an influx of people in need. The numbers are jumping. Anything that helps to address local hunger as well as world hunger is a good thing!"

(04/01/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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