The first-ever virtual Schoharie County Aggie Scott Memorial CROP Hunger Walk will be coming to Cobleskill on Sunday, October 18.
Besides raising money in the fight against hunger, the event will honor the memory of the late Lee Empie, who for many years was the local CROP Hunger Walk supporter who brought in the largest amount of money on CROP Hunger Walk Sunday.
In honor of Mr. Empie, several months ago Pam Kostbar-Jarvis and her husband John bought a wooden plaque designed by the staff at the New England Calendar and Novelty Company in Cobleskill. The Lee Empie Award will go to the individual Walker who brings in the most money on October 18.
This year's CROP Hunger Walk Sunday will be different from past CROP Hunger Walk Sundays because of COVID-19. There will be no large gathering of CROP supporters at the host church, Cobleskill United Methodist. There will be no program, no blessing of the participants and most important----there will be no long parade of Walkers leaving the church together at the end of the program.
As in years past, though, CROP Walkers will collect donations before CROP Hunger Walk Sunday.
However, unlike in the past, on October 18, walkers will turn in their donation envelopes to a designated recruiter at each participating church. The recruiters will then turn in the donation envelopes at CUMC and pick up a tee shirt for each walker who submitted a donation envelope that day.
Walkers should not report to Cobleskill United Methodist unless they didn't give their donation envelopes to their recruiters. Each of these walkers can turn in a donation envelope at the registration table and then pick up a 2020 CROP tee shirt a few minutes later.
Recruiters will take the tee shirts back to their churches for distribution the following Sunday or at other arranged times.
In this time of COVID-19, the goal of this plan is to prevent a large gathering of people at the church.
“I’ll miss the social aspect of a CROP Hunger Walk when the participants normally gather for the program before they walk around the Village of Cobleskill in a large group,” said John Jarvis, one of the members of the local CROP Hunger Walk Planning Committee.
“COVID-19 has changed our lives in so many ways, but the fight against hunger here and abroad still goes on, even more than ever, in fact, with all the American businesses shut down and their employees out of work.”
As usual, 25 percent of the money raised on October 18 will be shared by local food pantries. This year's food pantry recipients are located at Cobleskill United Methodist, the local office of Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties and Jefferson United Methodist Church.
The remaining 75 percent of money raised will go to Church World Service for distribution in the United States and foreign countries across the globe.
Other members of the local CROP Hunger Walk Planning Committee are Marty Blankowitz, Sue Lockwood and Tracy Smith.
Anyone wishing to participate in or learn more about the October 18 fundraiser can call (518)234-2933.