THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 6, 1995 TAG: 9510040168
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REBECCA A. MYERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
For the first time since Portsmouth hosted its first walkathon for the hungry in 1973, a majority of the proceeds will remain in the city.
In years past, 75 percent of the proceeds from the CROP Walk was given to Church World Service to combat world hunger, while only 25 percent stayed in the community to help feed the homeless.
Organizers decided this year to change the allocation to a 60-40 split in favor of Portsmouth. With the switch in designation came a new name, the Walk for HOPE, an acronym for hunger, oppression, poverty and eviction.
In a letter soliciting volunteers, Jim Thomas, coordinator of the walkathon, wrote: ``Increasing local demands and diminishing resources have forced us to look seriously at how much we can really afford to send outside of our community.''
The 4.6-mile walk, which begins and ends at Portside, will start at 2 p.m. Oct. 15. Last year, about 300 walkers raised approximately $15,000 by soliciting pledges from sponsors before the event.
One-quarter of the money raised, about $3,750, was used by the Portsmouth Area Resources Coalition (PARC) to purchase food for the PARC Place homeless shelter, said Patty Stephenson, co-chair of the 1994 walkathon.
``Last year was a beautiful day, and I think people really enjoyed the event and felt like they were doing it for a good cause,'' said Stephenson, who hopes to have as good a turnout this year.
The route takes walkers from Portside down Crawford Parkway to the grounds of the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, through Olde Towne to City Hall and along the Seawall back to Portside. Water stops will be provided along the way.
Thomas, pastor of Cottage Place United Methodist Church on Jamestown Avenue, agreed to coordinate this year's event because he sees the needs of the hungry and the homeless ``on a regular basis.''
``I believe in the importance of doing ministry where you can be most effective and that's where you can see it,'' he said.
Thomas has not set any goals for the amount of money he hopes to raise or for the number of walkers he would like to attract.
``I'm looking at doing the best job I can do. . . . If we have 300 walkers or if we have 600 walkers, as long as we raise money to help the people here who need it, I'm not really concerned with numbers,'' he said.
According to Thomas, PARC has an immediate need for the money that will be raised.
``It's not like it's going to sit in a bank until we need it,'' he said. ``We needed it two months ago in oodles of areas.''
The first CROP Walk in Virginia was launched in Lynchburg in 1972. A year later, Portsmouth hosted its first walk. The city has organized a walk every year since, with the exception of one.
PARC became the sponsoring agency and the recipient of the local share of the money raised in 1983. Before that, the money was given to area soup kitchens, food closets, Meals-on-Wheels programs and hunger-education projects. by CNB