October 2026 – The 2026 CROP Hunger Walk held on Saturday, November 14th is sponsored by the St. George Interfaith Council and marks the 17th annual walk held since 2009 (no walk was held in 2020 due to the pandemic). The 16 previous walks have raised nearly $115,000 for hunger programs, both locally and worldwide through Church World Service. Last year’s walk raised over $17,000, which crushed the previous record of $10,764 set in 2025. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from the walk remain in our area, currently supporting Solomon’s Porch’s Friday Pantry and Sunday Feast.
Pastor Jimi Kestin of Solomon’s Porch noted in February that Solomon’s Porch will serve nearly 20,000 meals in 2026, mostly to the elderly, poor and homeless. That will be done with no government funding and no paid staff. Solomon’s Porch is not a soup kitchen – each week they serve their guests a restaurant quality meal and their goal is to build relationships with those that they serve. By building relationships, they try to find out why people are struggling and, hopefully, connect them with services that can change their lives. As Pastor Jimi joked, “Our goal is to put ourselves out of business. That isn’t going to happen, but it is what we strive to do.”
Registration begins at 9:30am on Saturday, November 14, at Larkspur Park in Bloomington Hills (at the corner of Fort Pierce Drive and Larkspur Road). The festivities will begin at 9:45am with introductions from the Interfaith Council, recognition of the participating churches and comments from St. George Mayor Jimmie Hughes, as well as representatives from Washington City.
Some attendees come to donate, others come just to be with the Interfaith Council, while others come to walk. Walkers who go the entire distance will walk 6 miles on the St George trails – the average distance those in the developing world must walk each day to get food and water or go to work. It is not required to walk the entire distance and some people park their car along the route and walk from the park back to their car.
Larry Shurtliff, Secretary for the Interfaith Council said, “I’m happy to be working with Chris Schleter, this year’s new CROP Walk Director. Last year was a banner year for donations and we hope to exceed what was done and add to the prior years accomplishments. Also, this year, the first 100 walkers will receive a CROP Walk wristband. We are so thankful to our corporate sponsors who make this event successful. They include Marine United, Ernie’s Sinclair Inc, New Wave Homes, LLC, and more.”
There are four comfort stations along the route, each provided by a local church, where walkers can pick up a bottle of water or a snack and everyone has a great time as we help to feed those who need our help.
To donate go to https://events.crophungerwalk.
