Dinner to recruit CROP walkers

SPRINGFIELD A recruiter's rally and dinner for those planning to participate in the 2007 Greater Springfield CROP Hunger Walk will be held on Sept. 10 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 361 Sumner Ave.

In addition to providing potential walkers and recruiters with necessary information and sponsorship materials, the rally will include a free soup supper prepared by Branford Hall Career Institute's culinary students and a presentation by Meghan Lynch of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in East Longmeadow. Lynch will talk about the Millennium Development Goals and how CROP Hunger Walks play a significant role in meeting those goals. The Millennium Development Goals, aimed at ending extreme hunger and poverty worldwide by 2015, evolved out of a meeting of world leaders at the United Nations in 2000.

Lynch will also share a presentation of the "U2charist" service held at St. Mark's this past winter. The service incorporated the music of the Irish rock band U2 and its lead singer Bono to convey a message of peace and social justice.

The Greater Springfield CROP Hunger Walk is one of 2,000 CROP Hunger walks that take place in this country each year. CROP Walks, the oldest continuing walkathons in the country, raise money for disaster response, anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs in 80 countries around the world, including the United States. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Greater Springfield walk.

Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from this year's Greater Springfield walk will be donated to local service programs. Funds raised from the walk will be allocated to Open Pantry, Western Massachusetts Food Bank, and the Council of Churches' Emergency Fuel Fund. The remainder of the proceeds will help support efforts as varied as helping people grow food for their families in Africa and providing long-term recovery assistance for communities impacted by Hurricane Katrina. This year's Greater Springfield CROP Walk will take place on Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m.

At the Sept. 10 rally, recruiters and walkers will be given instructions on how to participate in the walk, as well as sponsorship packets, free educational materials and videos. For more information, or to RSVP for the Recruiter's Rally, call 583-8355. Additional information about CROP Hunter Walks can be found at www.cropwalk.org.