Sunday marked another installment of the CROP Hunger Walk.

“Worldwide more than one in seven people are hungry-and as many as half of them are hungry,” said The Rev. John McCullough, Executive Director and CEO of Church World Services, an organization that connects with other groups of people to stop world hunger especially through the CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Hunger Walk. The walk is a tradition as well as remembrance of Dr. Sondra King, who walked everywhere and whose desire was to reach billions of people to stop hunger.

NIU joined with other organizations and churches on Sunday for the annual DeKalb County Sondra King Memorial CROP Hunger Walk step off, which took place at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 830 N. Annie Glidden Road. A step-off ceremony started at 2:30 p.m. and gave walkers the option between either a four-mile or one-mile walk. The short ceremony included a brief remembrance of King, an introduction to CROP Walk, and a song written by Jennifer Covert and Peggy Stafford of Westminster.

Following the service, the send-off began and walkers started down Annie Glidden Road and onto Lucinda Avenue.

“I’m walking because every second a child dies of hunger and it’s a disgrace,” said Bennetta Stearnes, CROP walker. “For me a mile is not enough, but the walk is symbolic anyway.”

Twenty-five percent of the funds raised by CROP will be returned to DeKalb County agencies including: Meals on Wheels, Hope Haven and Safe Passage. Seventy-five percent of the funds will be used by Church World Services (CWS) for disaster relief and self-help development projects.

The CROP Walk’s goal for this year is $30,000, which is the same as last year.

Among the NIU student groups that were involved were Bread for the World, Student Dietetic Organization, Ebony Women, Empire Modelz and FCNS 406.

“I want my students to learn about social involvement and responsibility and the importance of fighting hunger,” said Amy Ozier, assistant professor of the School of Family & Consumer Sciences at NIU. Dressed in the “help CROP stop hunger” shirts many students came out and showed support.

The walk has not always been at Westminster Church, and every two years the churches rotate. The impact has connected with several other groups that desire to volunteer has grown over the past couple of years.

Alongside of the organizations and churches, there were eager students that also believed in the cause.

“I’m Nigerian and in Africa we have to walk miles for water,” said Omolola Aderibole, senior biological science major. “I feel like everybody should volunteer once.”

Some of the volunteers had walked before or supported similar causes.

“I did the walk last year and I’m a fan of volunteering,” said Kimika Nichols, senior child development major.

Following the walk was a post walk social where refreshments, awards and fundraiser pins were given out.