The 51st annual Erie Crop Hunger Walk took place at Presque Isle State Park on Sunday.
Walkers could choose between a one-mile route or a longer 5.3-mile loop beginning at Beach 1.
The event brings community together while supporting efforts aimed at containing hunger.
“We should be a little over a hundred thousand dollars, so a quarter of that will stay local, goes to food pantries, the soup kitchen, Second Harvest, other agencies, 28 total. The rest of the money goes to support hunger and poverty relief programs around the world,” Jim Haas, the Erie County Crop Hunger Walk coordinator, said.
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For those taking part, the cause also gives each mile a little more meaning.
“We are so blessed to not have that worry in our lives. So many people take it for granted; they’re just blessed with food already. And the people that aren’t blessed with that deserve to have someone fighting for them so that they can have that provided for them,” Madison Toy, a Crop Hunger Walker, said.
She also said she hopes they can raise enough money to make a change, even if it’s just one person.
Every step taken is meant to make a difference more than just starting at beach one. Organizers hope people remember that what they’re doing is for a bigger cause.
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“I hope they take away the fact that we can really do great things, resolve problems if we work together. Ours is a faith-based walk, so we believe God has led us here, but I think it says to everybody, you know, if we cooperate, great things can happen,” Haas said.
After more than five decades in Erie, organizers hope the walk continues inspiring people to take action against hunger long after they cross the finish line.
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