In 1978 a group of county residents seeking to shine a light on those struggling with hunger, walked from Williamsport to Jersey Shore, a journey of just under 15 miles-a major undertaking.

Pastor Bob Wallace was among those first walkers.

A retired United Methodist minister, Wallace shared some of his experiences from the early days of what would become the CROP walk.

That first walk was a challenge and Wallace noted that those who finished the full walk were thankful that they had rides back to Williamsport. The itinerary changed after that.

“We centered it around Williamsport and youth and the dike, for example, for I think the next few years. We started at Bowman Field and went from there, and we gave different lengths for the walk,” he said.

“We also had clowns. I mean, we used to entertain along the path, with some people who did the clowning. We sometimes used Scout troops to just make sure if they had to cross the street, they were watching carefully. So there was a lot of participation that really got interest built up for some of the hunger issues, not only within our own nation, but worldwide. So that part is what always encouraged me,” Wallace said.

The CROP (Christian Rural Overseas Program) walk began in 1947 under Church World Service, which had been founded a year earlier, as a way for farms in the Midwest to share their grain with people in post-World War II Europe and Asia..

“They sent loads of grain over to Europe, and from that point on, the CROP walk gained more leverage and interest,” Wallace said.

“Church World Service is the overarching organization and they have for years, worked with local churches and organizations to get the food directly to the people, which is one of the things that’s so encouraging to me that when they get involved, they set up lines of communication and ways of making sure the food is getting through to the people, and that’s what is, to me, so important,” he said.

Wallace had visited Haiti and he felt that it was essential that people be educated about the issue of hunger.

“I was just so interested in trying to get people to see the need, and this is God’s plan for us, if we can, to help out,” he said.

“When we were in Haiti, they distributed it (food) from one of the Christian hospitals over there…and we were able to help participate. And that was just a really meaningful experience. You could tell it was such a relief for them to know they’re going to have food for their children. And that’s just an incredible blessing, but it’s also humbling because most of us over here, even if we were raised in a family that wasn’t financially (wealthy) we had at least two meals a day, A lot of these people that we try to raise money for may not even have it for one meal a day, let alone enough to sustain them. So I think it’s a very, very important program,” he said.

The CROP Walk is held no matter the weather and in fact, Wallace shared that one year the walkers were faced with walking through the snow.

“We do it rain or shine, with the idea that people who are hungry walk, no matter what the weather is, to try to find food. This was one way for us to understand that, to keep walking, even if the weather wasn’t good,” he said.

Through the years, the number of walkers has dwindled, which Wallace finds “abysmal”.

“I think churches need to get back involved and understand that Jesus told us, in as much as you do it to the least of these, you do it unto me, and he fed the hungry more than once in Scripture. We need to follow that example,” Wallace said.

“One of the things that I think we need to try to accomplish is to get people to understand the need, that there’s such a great need, and we can’t take care of everybody, but we can take care of somebody, and when we do that, God smiles, And so should we,” he said.