Why We Walk

With just two days left until the 29th Annual Hunger Walk, the “Why I Walk” blog series concludes with some of the reasons YOU walk. Thank you for sharing your motivation with us on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to seeing everyone at the Hunger Walk on Saturday!

• Lisa: I walk to help those who need it. You never know what curves life will throw your way. One day I, or a friend or family member, may need to utilize a food pantry.
• Being undernourished should not exist as a roadblock to reaching one's full potential in our society.
• Rachel: I walk for the individuals and families who need it.
• Chicago Tribune Community Giving: There are too many people without food. This is a great cause to help others right here in our city.
• Mae: I walk because I don’t think that in 2014 people should be walking around hungry and homeless every day.
• Reginald: I’m walking because I appreciate the pantry giving me food!
• Monique: Stopping hunger motivates me to walk!
• Nessa: I know that it could be me on the streets, homeless and hungry. For this reason – it keeps me humble.
• Redeeming Grace Pantry: We walk because together, we can end hunger.

There’s still plenty of time to sign up for the Hunger Walk. Visit chicagosfoodbank.org to register or find more information. To see other entries in the Why I Walk series, click here.

Why I Walk: Kathy Morris

In anticipation of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 29th Annual Hunger Walk on June 21 at Soldier Field, we’re asking people what motivates them to take a step towards ending hunger. In this entry, Kathy Morris, of St. Ignatius Church Food Pantry in Rogers Park, explains what motivates her to participate in the Hunger Walk.

I’ve been participating in the Hunger Walk for a long time. I think the first time I attended was in 1989 or 1990. That first year, we were hoping to raise enough to afford food to distribute at Christmas. It was a bigger push the next year, and the year after that. Since then, the fundraising we’ve been able to do around the Hunger Walk has just grown and grown, and it’s taught me one thing – people in our community have made a strong commitment to ending hunger.

This year, we expect to raise close to $6,500 from the Hunger Walk. That will help us distribute food all year. So, why I walk is pretty simple: The Hunger Walk essentially feeds the community we serve. It enables us to order all the food we need and make sure that food gets onto the tables of needy families in Rogers Park. Plus, the money we raise at the Hunger Walk frees up other funds during the year that we can use for additional specialized items and programming, including nutrition classes for our clients.

The Hunger Walk doesn’t only afford us the chance to raise funds. It also gives perspective. Operating the pantry, I rarely see all the other people in the Food Depository’s network who are fighting the same fight every day. But when we come together at the Hunger Walk, I see the bigger picture. I realize that the Chicagoland community believes that one day we can end hunger. I can’t do it myself, but when I gather with more than 13,000 of my dearest friends, maybe we can.

The final “Why I Walk” entry next week will feature your motivation! Tell us why you’re walking in the 29^th Annual Hunger Walk by using the hashtag #No1ShouldGoHungry on Twitter or Facebook.

Why I Walk: Rodney Precht

In anticipation of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 29th Annual Hunger Walk on June 21 at Soldier Field, we’re asking people what motivates them to take a step towards ending hunger. In this entry, Rodney Precht, a Food Depository volunteer, explains what motivates him to participate in the Hunger Walk.

I’ve been volunteering at the Food Depository about three times a month since 2012. It’s an adventure I never tire of going on. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, I’m just happy to be giving back. Whether it’s repacking cereal, or gleaning carrots, I know I’m fighting hunger. Sometimes I volunteer with a group of people from my church, but sometimes I go by myself. Either way, it’s great fun to get something accomplished and meet new people.

 Why do I do it? Because you can’t be blind to the evidence that’s right in front of you. Hunger is a real issue in our community, and volunteering is one way to make an immediate impact on hunger.

The same goes for the Hunger Walk. It’s something that anyone can do, and an adventure that’s open to everyone. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it makes a big impact. So that’s why I’m walking. It’s just my small way of saying, “Hunger has no place in our community.” And when thousands of people join me at Soldier Field on June 21, I know that small statement will add up to something big.

Why I Walk: Bob Russell

Bob Russell will attend the Hunger Walk with more than 120 others from the Union Avenue UMC Food Pantry in Canaryville.

In anticipation of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 29th Annual Hunger Walk on June 21 at Soldier Field, we’re asking people what motivates them to take a step towards ending hunger. In this entry, Bob Russell, a volunteer and client at Union Avenue UMC Food Pantry in Canaryville, explains his motivation for attending the Hunger Walk.

When my wife passed away, things were so difficult for my family. Not only were we dealing with an unimaginable loss, we were also suddenly struggling to afford food. I wasn’t sure where to turn, so I went to a place my wife had once volunteered – the Union Avenue Food Pantry in my neighborhood.

Plain and simple, without the food my four children and I got at the pantry, I don’t know if we would have made it. I’m extremely grateful for the help I received at the pantry. I think it saved my family. Ever since, I’ve been volunteering at Union Avenue and everyone there has become family to me.

And that’s why I walk.

I want to give back to the pantry family that so willingly helped my children and I in a time of need. I look forward to the Hunger Walk every year for that reason. It’s a way for me to say “thanks” and it’s also a way to be together as a community. Because when I’m walking with people of all ages - and with the 120 people Union Avenue is bringing to the Hunger Walk this year - I know that we’re all a family with one mission: to fight hunger. And for me, that’s really inspiring.

Why I Walk: Cathy Moore

In anticipation of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 29th Annual Hunger Walk on June 21 at Soldier Field, we’re asking people what motivates them to take a step towards ending hunger. In this entry in the series, Cathy Moore, director of Saint James Food Pantry in Bronzeville, writes about why she’s walking June 21.

I am passionate about alleviating hunger. I always have been.

But at St. James Food Pantry, we work on such a small level. We serve two ZIP codes out of the hundreds in Cook County. Hunger is much more than just those two ZIP codes. It’s more than just Chicago. It’s an issue that affects our entire community.

I’m not saying we don’t fight hunger at Saint James, because we do, vigorously. We serve nearly 2,000 individuals per month, with distributions three days per week and we touch neighborhoods from the South Loop to Douglas. What I’m saying is; I want to fight hunger on a larger level. I want to be a part of a movement. And that’s why I walk.

The Hunger Walk is a chance to be part of an event that is so much more than a 5K walk. It’s a chance to network with other agencies, it’s a chance for my food pantry volunteers to grow as a team and most importantly, it’s a rally that shows we won’t stand for hunger in our community.

For more information or to register for the Hunger Walk, visit chicagosfoodbank.org/hungerwalk.

Why I Walk: Sandra Gillespie

Pastor Sandra Gillespie has been attending the Hunger Walk for the past eight years.

In anticipation of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 29th Annual Hunger Walk on June 21 at Soldier Field, we’re asking people what motivates them to take a step towards ending hunger. In the first entry of the series, Pastor Sandra Gillespie, of Chosen Tabernacle Ministries in Grand Boulevard, writes about why she’s walking June 21.

It’s hard out there. It really is. The numbers at our food pantry are through the roof. More of my clients than ever are working, but they still can’t feed their families. We feed men, women and children. We feed parents who can't make a living wage, older adults who struggle on a fixed income, and everyone in between.

I’m walking so that everyone in Chicago, in Cook County, knows that the people we serve exist. I’m walking because we need to end the misguided thinking that hunger does not happen in this community, because it does.

And I’m walking because we must feed hungry people, and the Hunger Walk is an excellent way to do that.

The Hunger Walk is our largest fundraiser of the year. We bring about 100 people – volunteers, clients, members of the church. Last year, we raised nearly $2,000. Our pantry isn’t a big operation. We have to really hustle throughout the year to make it work, but with the money we raise, we can sustain the pantry and we can get food to the people who need it in the Grand Boulevard community.

For more information or to register for the Hunger Walk, visit chicagosfoodbank.org/hungerwalk.