VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to for social distancing, the CROP Walk for Hunger will have a new twist. Because it would be unwise to walk together we are inviting participants to walk any time during the week of May 3-9 and to keep 6 feet apart unless you are a family. Walk 3 blocks or 3 miles…or any distance you’d like.

“It is urgent that our community continues to give to our CROP Hunger walk as the current pandemic creates increased need for food and resources for our local area and agencies around the world that support hunger ministries,” states Sharon Buhr, CROP chair. “Now is the time to give more than ever,” continues Buhr.

Support from the community makes a difference: 20% of funds raised will go to our local Barnes County Food Pantry.

This is the 40th consecutive year the CROP Hunger Walk has taken place in Valley City. It began in 1980 when people walked 12 miles because that was the distance people in Africa had to walk to get clean water. That distance has now decreased to 3 miles, still a long distance to walk for all the water one needs daily.

Donations to CROP can be made in a couple different ways. You could write your check out to CROP Hunger Walk and drop it in the mail to one of the participating churches or drop it off at any of these church offices: Faith Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran, Our Saviors Lutheran, Epworth Methodist or Connect Church. Checks can be made out to CROP Hunger Walk.

A new way to donate this year is to donate on-line: https://www.crophungerwalk.org/valleycitynd/Donate. The Valley City CROP Walk page will pop up and you can quickly make your donation.

CROP HAPPY SHOE ACTIVITY: A fun activity we are encouraging during CROP Walk week is to put the CROP Happy Foot/Shoe in your window and then go for a CROP Happy Shoe Hunt all around town.

If you are on social media, check out “Valley City/Barnes County CROP Hunger Walk” Event to show your participation and use the hashtags #VirtualCROPHungerWalk & #CROPwalk.

For questions or if you’d like a CROP Happy Foot/Shoe emailed to you to put in your window, call Sharon Buhr at 845-5197.

The feature photo: L to R; Todd Anderson, Michelle Grebel, Pastor Jolene Knutson-Hanse, Al Adams, Pastor Emmy Swedlund and Sharon Buhr are inviting anyone to walk in the 40th CROP Walk for Hunger. (Edie Schmidt, treasurer, is not pictured.) You can walk anytime between May 3 and May 9, walk any distance you’d like, and be safe and walk 6 feet apart.