CROP walk yields generous harvest

Father Gene Nickol, pastor of Our Lady of the Fields, Millersville, will join Severna Park-area walkers during the Oct. 21 CROP walk at 1 p.m. on a six-mile trek on the Baltimore & Annapolis trail. About 20 walkers from the parish will walk; others will sponsor Father Nickol, who usually raises about $3,000.
“He’s our big money raiser,” said Judy Harris, one of the volunteer coordinators for the Severna Park CROP walk. “Instead of walking, people sponsor him.”
A crop walk is a community event where neighbors take a stand against world hunger, raising awareness and funds for international relief and development, as well as local hunger-fighting organizations. It began about 50 years ago when midwestern farmers sent surplus crops to post-war Europe.
A quarter of the funds raised will stay in the local area to assist the Severna Park Assistance Network (SPAN). The remainder will be donated to Church World Service, sponsor of CROP walks around the country.
Our Lady of the Fields has been participating in CROP walks for at least 10 years. Another 10-15 area churches are taking part, said Ms. Harris, who solicits local sponsors to provide “freebie foods” such as pizza, pumpkin muffins, ice cream and other treats.