A fundraiser in Syracuse hosted its most attended walking event in three years on Sunday.

Students gathered at Hendricks Chapel for the CROP Hunger Walk, a fundraising event that spreads awareness about world hunger, at 12:30 p.m. The Office of Engagement Programs helped bring together numerous university organization. Participants then marched downtown from campus.

Participants walked from Hendricks into Syracuse, where the main event was held, said Al Forbes, a graduate assistant in the Office of Engagement Programs. Participants were asked to carry signs with slogans such as “Ending hunger one step at a time.”

The number of attendees has doubled compared to two years ago, Forbes said. This year, 73 students participated in the walk. The event has raised almost $100 so far, he said.

“I can say that this has been the biggest group in the last three years,” said Syeisha Byrd, director of the Office of Engagement Programs.

The university has been participating in the walk for more than 20 years, Byrd said.  For a couple of years, student participation was dwindling and organizers considered trying another fundraiser, she added.

More than 1,600 walks take place each year nationwide, according to the website for The Church World Service. The Church World Service sponsors the CROP Hunger Walks, which have been taking place since 1969.

Although students are encouraged to make monetary donations, contributions are not required to participate, said Forbes, the graduate assistant.

“It’s really to bring more awareness.  We know that students aren’t rich, so we’re not going to raise $10,000,” Byrd said.

The goal of the walk is to “educate the students on how hunger affects us here locally,” she said.

Byrd said the walk benefits the community. When people see the participants, she said, they will become aware of the hunger in the community. This generates more volunteers and makes people more willing to donate.

Theresa Bodnar, a graduate student in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management who volunteered at the event, said she thought the event was a great way to help the homeless and hungry residents in Syracuse.

Byrd added that 25 percent of the money raised will help that community specifically. Forbes said it will go to the Interreligious Food Consortium of Syracuse. Another objective of the walk is to bring together university organizations. Much of the help comes from greek life, he added.

Aysha Seedat, the community relations chair of OrangeSeeds and sophomore policy studies major, said the group does the walk as a yearly community service project. It can sometimes be difficult for OrangeSeeds to involve all freshman members, she said, but the event is a good way to bring everyone together.

Said Seedat: “I thought this was a nice way to bring awareness to worldwide hunger and for everyone to bond together and meet other people in other organizations.”

Published on October 21, 2013 at 12:58 am

Contact Zach: zdschwei@syr.edu