On Sunday, Oct. 14, area residents are invited to put on their walking shoes to help eradicate hunger and poverty around the world and around the block by participating in the 2012 CROP Walk for World Hunger. The New Paltz CROP Walk, sponsored by the New Paltz Student Christian Center, will be held on Oct. 14, rain or shine. Registration begins at 1 p.m. and the walk will step off at 2 p.m. at SUNY New Paltz parking lot #18 (corner of Plattekill Avenue and South Manheim Boulevard — Route 32 South). Walkers will proceed up South Manheim, down Main Street and cross over to the Wallkill Valley Rail trail at Water Street Market. The group will head North to the bridge over the Wallkill River and make their way back following the same route. The walk will feature music, food, a silent auction, Stewart’s ice cream certificates for the kids, plus Moxie Cupcake certificates. Walkers may pick up a donation sheet at Family of New Paltz, New Paltz area churches, the synagogue and on the day of the walk during the registration.
In Highland, the walk will be sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church, located at the corner of Church and Grove streets. The event will be preceded by a joint 10 a.m. Highland/Marlboro worship service at the First Presbyterian Church in Highland.
CROP hunger walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by local volunteers to raise funds to end hunger. Twenty-five percent of the monies raised will stay in the community to fight hunger. Locally, the New Paltz CROP Walk supports Family of New Paltz and the Wallkill Food Pantry. In Highland, the money raised will help Ulster County Community Action, whose headquarters are located on Church Street in Highland.