And Willie Said: Ending Hunger One Step at a Time (Part 1) -- Sunday, November 13, 2016

On Sunday, November 13, Herb and I join a group of people from St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Pearland, folks from other local churches, and residents of the community in the Crop Hunger Walk, a 5K walk to benefit Pearland Meals on Wheels. We are also pleased to have relatives from Louisiana participate with us.

Jenny and Lloyd of Louisiana

And their grandchildren Austin and Andrew of Pearland

Balloons and yard signs lead the way into the subdivision where the walk will occur.

Registration begins with each participant receiving a gift bag containing nourishing snacks to sustain them during the walk, as well as stickers to reward the walk. Additionally, included are information about the church's 'church away from the building' in a shopping center across town.

Lively music is played as people gather, and a poster asks us to include the hashtag on photos we post on social media.

It takes many people to organize and execute activities.

Roxie figuring things out

Ed getting ready for bike patrol

These young ladies show purified bottled water that we can buy in a store; then have pitchers of water representing the heavy loads of water (about 20 litres) that women and children in Africa and Asia must carry on their heads, walking an average of over three and a half miles in some parts of the world. This causes severe damage to the neck and spine over time.

Rice is a staple food in most of the developing countries, and a bag purchased at H-E-B is marked with our cost of $2.50. It can fill many snack bags of rice, shown below.

This map shows the prevalence of food insecurity averaged over the years 2012 to 2014. States in red have the highest, and Texas is among them.

There's lots of time to visit with friends and meet new ones as we wait for the walk to begin. I don't think Paula brought a baby along; possibly the stroller is for her dog.

Anticipation is high checking out the playtime area for the children once the walk is finished. A few enjoy climbing the rock wall.

Rock Wall

When participants sign up to walk and/or donate funds, they are asked to join a team or form a new one. Herb and I join Roxie and Ed's 'Team Mosaic' and invite several friends to come along. A few have other commitments, but give a donation to the cause. Some of the other teams are kind enough to pose for the camera today.