Blair Sponsors CROP Walk

Blair’s community service program sponsored a three-mile CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Walk on campus on October 12. Parents and families were encouraged to participate; happily, many chose to show their support by walking and/or contributing funds. CROP Hunger Walks – 2,000 around the nation – encourage community members to walk together in a stand against world hunger; the event builds awareness and funds for international and grassroots relief. Twenty-five percent of the funds raised will benefit local Blairstown food pantries. Faculty advisor Kaye Evans, who noted that donations are still coming in, hoped to top last year’s collection of $5,000.

According to the CROP Web site, “As the United States and the world come to grips with a food crisis that has seen supplies dwindle and prices skyrocket, more people than ever are finding it difficult to impossible to feed their families, and CROP Hunger Walks are more important than ever.”

The New Jersey Herald covered the CROP walk in its October 13 edition:

Blair Joins with Community Against Poverty
By Roberta Fugate

With sunny skies and summer-like temperatures, about 80 participants from Blair Academy, area churches and the community gathered at Tracy Hall on the Blair campus for the annual three-mile Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty Walk on Sunday. Sponsored by Blair's Community Service Program, the event builds awareness and funds for international and grassroots relief.

Kaye Evans, Blair Academy teacher and coordinator of community service, said the event raises awareness of both global and local hunger.

Last year, more than 100 walkers raised more than $5,300 in the Blairstown CROP Walk. A portion of the funds raised in Blairstown will go to the local food pantries. The remainder of the money raised will be used to combat global hunger, aid newly unemployed people, international relief and for those people who can't earn their own living, said Rev. Cindy Crowner, Blair chaplain.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture report, Household Food Security in the United States, 2006, "nearly 11 percent of American households were food insecure at least some time during the year -- meaning that the food intake of one or more adults was reduced and their eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food."

"Hunger is happening all over the world," Crowner said.

Evans said events such as the CROP Walk are good for students to help organize as well as participate -- to see how much work it takes to put together an event such as this, she said. "It gets the kids involved and lets them partnership with the community to reach out and solve problems."

Blair Academy sophomore Maggie Hoffman, 15, said she participated in the event because it's a really good cause. She said last year she and other members of the community service organization on campus took a trip to Camden and got to see first-hand the people less fortunate than herself. "Now anything I can do to help, I will," she said.

This is the second year Blair Academy senior Margaret DeOliveira, 17, participated in the event. "I love helping out with organizations like this," she said. "It's a good cause."

"I love doing community service," said Lindsay Weil, 17, who participated in the event last year. "I went to Camden last year and it really opened my eyes. This is a cause that I really care about." Weil said events such as the walk open other people's eyes. "It makes Blair and everyone aware of what's outside the Blair 'bubble,'" she said.

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Updated 10/15/08

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