BY CJ CARNACCHIO
Oxford Leader Editor
Despite the rain, gray skies and chilly temperatures, 313 hearty souls participated in the 22nd Annual Lake Orion/Oxford Area CROP Walk held Sunday afternoon.
Sporting a mixture of winter attire and rain-gear, participants started at Oxford United Methodist Church (UMC) on E. Burdick St. and had their choice of two routes ? a 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) walk or run to Lake Orion UMC on E. Flint St. in downtown Lake Orion or a 1-kilometer (0.8-mile) walk beginning and ending at Oxford UMC.
A total of $25,433 in pledges was submitted by walkers to help fight hunger on both a local and worldwide scale, but that amount will most likely increase when all the donations are collected, according to CROP Walk organizers.
Locally, Oxford/Orion FISH, St. Vincent DePaul and the Baldwin Avenue United Methodist Church Community Kitchen will split 25 percent of the proceeds.
Church World Service will receive 57 percent, which it will use to work in partnership with local organizations to support sustainable self-help development, meet emergency needs, aid refugees, and help address the root causes of poverty and powerlessness in more than 80 countries.
The remaining 18 percent will be used to cover administration costs and fundraising materials.
Members of 14 area churches participated in this year’s CROP Walk. Those churches included Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, Christ the King, Community of Christ, Dominican Sisters, Howarth UMC, Immanuel Congregation United Church of Christ, King of Kings Lutheran Church, Lake Orion UMC, Lakeville UMC, Oxford UMC, Paint Creek UMC, St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Mary’s in the Hills Episcopal Church and Thomas UMC.
Members of the Curves in Lake Orion once again participated in this year’s walk.