Wichita CROP Walk
Why We Walk – Alleviating Hunger Locally and Around the World
The Wichita CROP Hunger Walk seeks to educate, inspire and empower the Wichita community to be agents of change in the fight against poverty and hunger through fundraising events with local and international impact. The Walk is an opportunity for Wichita residents of all ages, faiths, cultures and circumstances to join together to demonstrate their concern for those who are poor and do not have enough food to eat, both across the globe and in our own backyard. ¼ of funds raised stay local and help the work of 4 local recipient agencies. ¾ of the funds raised assist the hungry around the world through Church World Service.
Breakfast and Neighborhood Fellowship – City Life Church www.citylifechurch.org
City Life Church ministers to those in need in our community with a warm, freshly made breakfast each Sunday serving 70-80 people each week. Other services offered are a sewing/mending ministry once a month and free haircuts by trained professionals several times a month. Twice monthly medical clinics are held for the uninsured, providing basic medical care, which includes blood-pressure monitoring, dispensing over the counter drugs (i.e. Tylenol, Ibuprofen), as well as writing prescriptions and making referrals. Within the last year, a once-a-month dental clinic has been added that does some extractions, pain management and referrals.
City Life Church wishes to minister to the spiritual well-being of our urban poor, as well as their physical well-being. Each Sunday a worship service is held prior to the breakfast, with praise and worship music, prayer and a message. Communion is also served once a month. Steps are being taken to include more leadership from within those who regularly attend.
HumanKind Ministries Wichita – Food Ministries www.humankindwichita.org
HumanKind Ministries provides shelter, affordable housing, case management, and basic needs to those experiencing homelessness or poverty in Sedgwick County. Recognizing the inherent value of each person, HumanKind serves the most vulnerable with compassion and kindness and, in doing so, strengthens the entire community. HumanKind (HK) manages three homeless shelters, 112 permanent supportive apartments, the region’s largest holiday assistance program (Operation Holiday), and more. All residents of HK apartments and shelters receive case management to help them develop individualized goals and benchmarks and build brighter futures for themselves and their families. About 1100 men, women, and children are provided with a warm and safe place to sleep at HumanKind shelters each year, with an additional 14,000 served through Operation Holiday. There are 101 (soon to be 154) permanent supportive apartments.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, HumanKind extended services and hours at their three shelters, keeping their Winter Shelters open an extra two months so that clients could shelter in place. .
Free Community Breakfast - St. Paul’s Lutheran Church www.stpauls-wichita.org The Free Community Breakfast at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, served with the help of multiple church partners in the Wichita area, provides a hearty breakfast and a warm welcome for neighbors in the center of Wichita with a focus on inviting and welcoming homeless neighbors and hungry neighbors. The breakfast is offered weekly at St. Paul’s at 925 N. Waco the 2nd to the 5th Saturdays. On the first Saturday our partner First Presbyterian Church serves at their location just a few blocks away. Seasonal clothing is also offered. The ICT Street Team provides a free medical clinic along with the breakfast on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays.
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United Methodist Open Door Community Food Ministry www.umopendoor.org United Methodist Open Door has been in the community since 1965 providing direct services to families in need of food, clothing, and shelter. Funds from the CROP Hunger Walk will help to provide a food box to families in need through the Community Food Ministry. The Community Food Ministry (CFM) located at 2130 E. 21st St. N in Wichita is the largest community-wide food box program in the area. CFM is an emergency food assistance program providing a nutritionally balanced food box once per month to families in need. The food box includes items such as canned fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, cereal, pasta, soup and bread. Free USDA commodity foods under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) are also distributed to qualifying families living in Sedgwick County 6 months per year. A total of 22, 816 food boxes were provided in 2023.
Church World Service www.cwsglobal.org
Church World Service (CWS) was founded in 1946 and is a cooperative ministry of 37 Christian denominations and communions. CWS is a member of a global partnership of faith-based humanitarian agencies, ACT Alliance, with members in 140 countries. CWS provides sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance around the world. The CWS mission is to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice at the national and international level through collaboration with partners abroad and in the US. The first CROP Hunger Walk was in the 1960s. In 2019 there were over 800 CROP Hunger Walks across the US with approximately 100,000 walkers raising over $7,600,000 to fight hunger and poverty in international and local communities.
CROP WALK WICHITA
Breakfast "to-go" at St. Paul's Lutheran Church