2009 Post Walk Press Release

"Red Bank CROP Walk Supports Haiti Relief "

The recent news out of Haiti shows the total devastation of this small country. Everywhere we look we are being asked to respond with donations to help our Haitian neighbors. The Red Bank CROP Hunger Walk Committee wants you to know that the funds raised by our Red Bank CROP Walk this past October totaled $110,000.

Our local partners have already received 6,700 pounds of food collected on the day of the walk and will be receiving checks to support their programs. Additional funds go through Church World Service (CWS) to assist countries around the globe. Haiti is one of those countries.

Even before the earthquake Haiti had over 70 percent of the population unemployed, and those with jobs earned less than $2 a day, making Haiti the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Church World Service has been working in Haiti since the 1960s with funds raised from 2,000 CROP walks around our country.

Our Red Bank walk is the largest of nearly 100 walks in New Jersey. The longtime involvement of CWS in Haiti through our partners on the ground there enabled us to respond immediately, keeping survivors alive in the aftermath of the earthquake.

CWS local partners in Port-au- Prince sustained severe damage but were able to call on CWS partners in the Dominican Republic to help with immediate aid, providing emergency supplies and working to provide water, temporary shelter, food, and medical assistance. CWS will be there in the long struggle to rebuild.

All of you — walkers, volunteers and sponsors — have helped to build this infrastructure by supporting CROP Walk over the past 29 years in the Red Bank Area.

How you can help:

1. Please contribute online or by phoning 800-297-1516 or by mailing your contribution to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515 (please indicate Haiti Earthquake).

2. You can also put together emergency hygiene kits. Information is available on the website,

3. You can purchase kits that will be assembled by volunteers and shipped to Haiti. In the face of natural disasters, violence or grinding poverty, hygiene kits can mean the difference between sickness and health for struggling families.

4. Challenge your family and friends to raise $2 a day for 30 days. Every donation helps!

Janie Schildge Coordinator Red Bank CROP Walk