Originally published in the quarterly Explorer, Winter 2013 edition.
For a while, I didn’t know what the CROP Walk was. I didn’t know what it was for, where it was held, how long it was, or that it even existed! But that all changed when Michael [Kellett] told the youth about it and opened it up for us to go instead of having Sunday night stuff!
For those who don’t know, the CROP Walk is about a three-and-a-half-mile walk downtown in the fan to raise awareness about hunger.
For me being 16, I knew hunger was a problem, but I didn’t know how big of a problem it really was and that kids my age don’t even know when their next meal would come, which is heartbreaking to me!
I got a lot of different things out of the CROP Walk I got to see how Richmond comes together to raise awareness about hunger; I got to see so many restaurants I never knew existed downtown; and I also got to know, even at age 16, I can do something about this! I hope that we will go back next year and do the CROP Walk again because it sure was fun and meaningful!