Countywide : Walks’ Proceeds to Go for Hunger Relief

More than 1,500 Ventura County residents are expected to participate Sunday in walks to raise money to help alleviate world hunger.

Spearheaded by the Ventura County Hunger Coalition, seven walks will be held around the county from 1 p.m. until about 4 p.m.

The event marks the 15th year that CROP walks have been held in the county, said Janine Faria, coordinator of food ministries for Project Understanding, which helped organize the event.

Last year, about 1,900 Ventura County residents participated in the local walks, raising more than $100,000, Faria said.

Named for the now-defunct Christian Rural Overseas Programs, CROP walks have been held nationwide since 1969, Faria said. One-quarter of the money raised is donated to local food banks and other charity groups, while the rest is given to international relief organizations, she said.

Participants walk, rather than run or bicycle, in recognition that most hungry people around the world have to walk as their only mode of transportation, Faria said.

All the walks begin at 1 p.m. Walkers should arrive early to register, Faria said. The starting places for the county walks are:

In Camarillo, St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, 1251 E. Las Posas Road. For Moorpark, United Methodist Church, 3rd Street and Flory Avenue. In Ojai, Jack Boyd Community Center, 501 Park Road. For Oxnard-Port Hueneme, Our Savior’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 905 W. Redwood St.

In Santa Paula, Veterans Memorial Park. In Thousand Oaks, the football stadium at California Lutheran University. In Ventura, Cabrillo Middle School at 1426 E. Santa Clara St.