Sunday, October 26 was a beautiful day for the annual Brookhaven CROP Hunger Walk with brilliant sunshine, crisp fall air, and crunchy leaves underfoot! The 19 walkers representing NSUMC joined folks from the host church, Setauket Presbyterian, Mt. Sinai UCC, and several other congregations, for the three-mile trek through the streets of Setauket.

Our walkers represented a much larger team of sponsors who donated to the cause of ending hunger locally and globally. Our sponsors included friends and family members as well as many from the congregation. We raised a total of $973.70. The NSUMC group not only included first-time participants such as confirmation students Grace Trebilcock, Gillian Shrey, Rachel Sereno, and Aaron McClintock, but also a few veteran walkers.

“I did CROP Walk with my church in Williamsport, PA when I was in high school,” Deb Shrey recalled.

“I think this is at least my 20th Crop Walk,” said Anne Westover who participated with husband Chris and son Christian. Christian, now a high-school freshman, was in a stroller for his first CROP Walk.

CROP Hunger Walks are sponsored by Church World Service, and occur in more than 2000 communities across the USA each year in order to raise awareness about the problem of world hunger and funds to make a difference in that cause. The walk and the slogan, “Ending hunger one step at a time,” reminds us that many people in developing countries typically walk a distance each day for food, water, and other basic needs.

75% of the Brookhaven CROP Walk total will be given to Church World Service to support its projects and programs elsewhere in our country and the world. The other 25% supports local food pantries or soup kitchens. 25% of our NSUMC total will come back to our Helping Hands Fund. That’s a special blessing from all who sponsored NSUMC walkers.