Good Friday 2013: Stop Hunger WALK (Ecumenical project in Rhode Island)

March 29, 2013 is the date for Good Friday this year.  The approximate 6 - mile walk to defeat hunger and homelessness has the goal of $100,000 and 1,000 participants.

Three Reasons to Take Part:

 1.  To bring Christians together in commemoration of Good Friday.

Good Friday is a symbolic day of reflection in our faith, a time to remember Jesus’ walk to Calvary and crucifixion, a time to say “no” to a culture of greed, a time to hold fast to the faith and to let the everyday things of the world fall away.  Good Friday is a day walkers remember all through the year.  And if Jesus can suffer and die on a cross, surely you and I can manage a few blisters!

2.  To involve the community in something good.

The Good Friday Walk is an opportunity to teach our young people – indeed, people of all ages in our churches and schools – about poverty as they walk through poor neighborhoods, often with people who live there!  And we’re not just walking, we’re raising funds to help through non-profit, faith-based organizations and programs.  Every one of us can make a difference!
While most of the recipient projects are local, a few are international where we have special ties and where we know we can make an impact with a little monetary support.  A Sister of Mercy in Soweto wrote recently, “I am so grateful and all I can say is God bless you and all your people.  Your gift will be spent on our new shelter for homeless women and women in distress…and for poor children to get bread for their lunch at school every day.”

3.  To raise funds to combat hunger and homelessness.

According to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s 2011 Status Report on Hunger a growing number of households in Rhode Island lack adequate food.   In fact, 14.7 percent of our population cuts the size of meals or skips meals altogether, and in the course of a year, two out of every five “food-insecure” households run out of food entirely.  As many as 42,000 children (19 percent of Rhode Islanders under the age of 18) live in poverty.  An increasing number of families rely on emergency food pantries every month, and more and more working people are showing up at soup kitchens!  In 2011, 4410 people were homeless in Rhode Island, up 484 people since 2007.  Forty percent of them are families, and 1 out of every 4 homeless are children.  In the last two years, there has been an increase of 20 percent in shelter use.  Shelters are full, and social service agencies are strained.
http://goodfridaywalkforhungerri.org/