Walkers in the 2020 Austin CROP Hunger Walk.
Emily Speight has been walking and raising funds for the Austin CROP Hunger Walk for years, but this weekend’s Walk has a deeper meaning. During the disastrous winter storm last week, Emily had a moment of reflection on how her own experience relates to the experiences of those who struggle on a daily basis.
“On Thursday, day two for us without running water to our home, while I was trying to determine how long our drinking water would last and how much snow we should harvest to be able to flush our toilets for the next few days, I thought about how much time I have spent this week making sure our family is safe, trying to get us food and water, and trying to keep our home from being damaged by the weather. I thought about how much time I have spent on things that we so often take for granted and not on my paid job. While looking at the melting snow in our bathtub, I was reminded why our family and our church participate in the CROP Hunger Walk. We walk for people in other countries who must walk four miles each way every day to get water for their families. We walk not only to provide immediate aid to others, but also to provide others with the tools, like chickens and water filters, to sustain themselves and their families long-term. We walk so that children can spend eight hours in school each day instead of spending that time just trying to help their families survive.”
The 2021 Austin CROP Hunger Walk is Sunday, March 7. For the first time in 48 years, Emily, her team at First Unitarian Universalist and other CROP Hunger Walkers are going virtual – walking as individuals, families and small teams in local parks, on neighborhood streets, and on their own congregation’s property.
The Walk’s goal is to raise $80,000 to help end hunger in Austin and in more than 30 countries around the globe. The funds will support the Central Texas Food Bank, local food pantries and international aid agency, CWS. You may have seen CWS blankets and buckets on the news recently as they were deployed to help our local neighbors weather the storm.
Join the Austin CROP Hunger Walk or find another CROP Hunger Walk at crophungerwalk.org. Register as a walker; donate and invite your best friends, co-workers, family and fellow congregants to help end hunger with a donation.