HUNDREDS TAKE STEPS TO FEED HUNGRY; CROP WALK FOOT SOLDIERS ASSIST NEEDY.Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer Hundreds of people across Ventura and Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. counties took to the streets Sunday to raise money for and awareness of world hunger. Nine different communities participated in the 1998 CROP Walk, and more than 30 others have walks planned for future weekends, said Emily Abbott, the regional director of Church World Service/CROP. The Moorpark event was unique in that participants were asked to bring toiletries toi·let·ry n. pl. toi·let·ries An article, such as toothpaste or a hairbrush, used in personal grooming or dressing. toiletries npl → artículos mpl de aseo (= , food and clothing for distribution to the needy need·y adj. need·i·er, need·i·est 1. Being in need; impoverished. See Synonyms at poor. 2. Wanting or needing affection, attention, or reassurance, especially to an excessive degree. . The Moorpark 5-kilometer walk also featured informative and interactive stations along the route. ``There are informational signs up about hunger,'' said Marilyn Green, the Moorpark coordinator for CROP Walk. At one of the four rest stations, which were staffed by four area Girl Scout troops, walkers were offered ``survival biscuits,'' a food product distributed by relief workers in times of extreme famine famine Extreme and protracted shortage of food, resulting in widespread hunger and a substantial increase in the death rate. General famines affect all classes or groups in the region of food shortage; class famines affect some classes or groups much more severely than . ``They're not tasty tast·y adj. tast·i·er, tast·i·est 1. Having a pleasing flavor; savory. 2. Having or showing good taste; tasteful. tast ,'' Green said. ``But they kind of give you a taste of what it's like to be a refugee.'' Through the use of the biscuits and the informational signs, organizers hoped to succeed in the sometimes difficult task of reminding people that not everyone in the world has a good meal every day, Green said. ``It's difficult to do,'' she said. Abbott said she was on hand in Moorpark to observe the community's unique way of helping people learn while they walk. ``None of my other walks do that, and I want to learn from them,'' she said. CROP Walk was started as a fund-raiser in 1969 by the Church World Service, Abbott said. The event symbolizes the method of transportation that most people of the world use to obtain their food, she said. ``We also walk in solidarity with people around the world,'' Abbott said. One-fourth of the proceeds of the event stays with local communities, while the rest gets sent abroad to more than 70 countries to fight hunger Fight Hunger is a global initiative, based in Rome, Italy [1], calling for the end of child hunger by 2015 [2]. It is organised by the World Food Programme and its partners, and comprises different activities throughout the year. , Abbott said. Last year the 40 communities in the Pacific southwest who participated in CROP Walk raised more than $700,000, Abbott said. Moorpark's event alone raised $4,000 last year, Green said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1-2) Wayne Tingley, above, heads for a collection station carrying clothing donated do·nate v. do·nat·ed, do·nat·ing, do·nates v.tr. To present as a gift to a fund or cause; contribute. v.intr. To make a contribution to a fund or cause. by CROP Walk participants Sunday in Moorpark. At left, walkers pass beneath trees on High Street. Michael Owen
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