NORTHWEST INDIANA - More than 12 area churches will take action against hunger issues on Sunday when area participants meet at Immanuel United Church of Christ in Highland.

The Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty (or CROP) volunteers will walk approximately four miles to demonstrate the urgency of supporting hunger. The event, designed to raise funds through walkers and sponsors, is designating 25-percent of proceeds to the Northwest Indiana Salvation Army and the Crown Point Community Cupboard.

"Water is so sparse and one little rice bowl provided by the CROP walk is the amount of food that children and adults get in one day in places like Darfur, Kenya," said CROP Hunger Walk team member Lori Wold. "And right now our own communities are just as needy. The Salvation Army has a huge project to help our local victims from both the tornado and flood so it's great that we're reaching out near and far."

All Hunger Walk funds are channeled through Church World Service, an agency that since 1946 has enabled the poor with programs of self-help, emergency response, and refugee assistance.

Participating churches include Westminster Presbyterian Church of Munster; First Christian, Gloria Dei Lutheran, and Immanuel United Church of Christ of Highland; St. John United Church of Christ and First Presbyterian Church of Crown Point; Iglesia del Pueblo, Hammond Presbyterian, and Christ Lutheran of Hammond; First United Methodist of Griffith; Peace United Church of Christ and First Presbyterian Church of Merrillville; and Christ Presbyterian of Winfield.

--The Times