University of Connecticut students gather to learn about the local CROP Hunger Walk and play “Hunger Games” such as Global Four Square and Hunger Trivia. Photo: Krista Connelly/CWS
As my first year at CWS comes to a close I look back at all that my CROP Hunger Walk volunteers have accomplished. What a difference they have made in the fight against hunger. Together they have advocated for the 925 million people who do not have enough to eat. They have educated others on what it means to live on less than a $1 a day. Together they have walked thousands of miles with the hope that they will end hunger one step at a time.
For the past year I have watched my volunteers fight hunger with a passion that I have never seen before. They have made sacrifices in their personal lives to make time for their walks. Bent over backwards for the perfect walking route and spent their free time in organizational meetings, churches, schools and businesses as they advocated for the fight against global hunger. My volunteers make the CROP Hunger Walk what it is today and I know my colleagues feel the same about theirs.
It is easy to forget about the struggles of others as our lives become hectic and overwhelming. What time do the kids need to be picked up? Should we have chicken or pot roast for dinner? Do I really have to go to that meeting tomorrow? What are we doing this weekend? If we are not careful those worries consume us and we lose sight of the bigger picture. I think we are all guilty of this at one point or another in our lives. I know I am but we have to keep reminding ourselves why we walk.
When you make the decision to participate in a CROP Hunger Walk you are changing the lives of millions around the world. You are saying out loud, for everyone to hear, that there IS enough food for all in this world. That there isn’t one child, one mother, one father, one person that should know what food insecurity is. That it is unacceptable that nearly one-third of all childhood deaths occur before age five as the result of malnutrition. That every child should be able to reach their potential in life and that every person deserves food on their table and people around that table who love them.
My volunteers believe this with every ounce of their being. They spark my passion and enthusiasm for fighting hunger. They walk because they believe in CWS and the CROP Hunger Walk. CWS truly has the best volunteers and I am thankful for them every day. While my first year at CWS is ending, I look forward to another year spent with them as we fight hunger, together.
Join us. We would love to have you.
Krista Connelly, Assistant Regional Director, New England