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The Rev. Dr. Ralph Clingan from Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church says a few words of encouragement to participants in the annual St. George CROP Hunger Walk on November 9, 2024. Photo provided by Dana E Smith, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Leah Haynes, Church News
Latter-day Saints helped carry out Utah’s most successful CROP Hunger Walk, held in St. George on Saturday, November 9. The event raised $10,200 for those in need — the most ever collected in the city.
Starting as the Christian Rural Overseas Program in 1947, CROP began as a way for farmers to donate food and crops to those facing poverty. Since then, the program has grown throughout the United States.
In 1969, a thousand people in Bismarck, North Dakota, walked to raise $25,000 to help stop hunger, organizing similar hunger walks since then. Today, participants of the CROP Walk donate funds to those in need and/or walk 6 miles to advocate for basic necessities, the same distance many people in third-world countries walk every day to get food and water.
“The CROP Walk is a wonderful project that brings many religions together in a true spirit of fellowship,” said Tim Martin, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who serves on the St. George Region Communication Council and secretary of the St. George Interfaith Council.
Martin continued: “We’re serving less-fortunate people in our community and in the world. It’s inspiring to see members of our community come together to donate to a great cause and then walk side by side for 6 miles. This event has become more successful each year because our interfaith community thrives on service and building lasting relationships with one another.”
Alongside the Church, 10 other congregations — most of whom are part of the St. George Interfaith Council — participated in this year’s walk: Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, Saint George Catholic Church, Baha’i Community, New Promise Lutheran Church, Solomon’s Porch Foursquare Fellowship, Grace Episcopal Church, Beit Chaverim Jewish Congregation of Greater Zion, Unity Church, Center for Spiritual Living and American Baptist.
Including past CROP walks in St. George from previous years, the community has donated over $100,000 to the CROP Walk, which is then used to help support the global mission of the Church World Service.
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Participants in St. George's annual CROP Walk start their 6-mile walk as part of the Inter-faith council event Saturday, November 9, 2024. Photo provided by Dana E Smith, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.“I continue to be moved and inspired by the incredible generosity and love of neighbors expressed by our community and area in their overflowing support and care for the poor and hungry here and across our world. God bless you all,” said the Rev. Dr. Ralph Clingan from Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.
Those who walked were treated to four refreshment tables throughout the trail provided by the Church, as well as Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, Solomon’s Porch Foursquare Fellowship and Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church.
“The CROP Walk shows our community the amazing spirit of cooperation that the various faith groups have developed in Utah’s Dixie which transcends our religious differences. And secondly, it highlights the tremendous food insecurity, both right here in our community and worldwide,” said the Rev. Jimi Kestin, who leads Solomon’s Porch Foursquare Fellowship.
The walk was and is an opportunity for members of the Church to serve others in their community, with donations large and small. St. George Interfaith Council’s next event, Prayer Over the City, will take place at noon on January 1, 2025, in the St. George Tabernacle.
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