The Maine Credit Unions’ Ending Hunger Walking Tour [AUDIO]

In 2002, the Walking Tour was conceived by Brenda Davis, Executive Director of Cross Roads Ministries in Old Town, a hunger organization serving eastern Maine, and Jon Paradise, Coordinator of the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger, along with the Maine Credit Union League’s Social Responsibility Committee.

The Walking Tour is an initiative through the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger, a campaign which has raised more than $5.3 million to help end hunger in Maine. Since it began, the Tour has covered more than 10,000 miles.

The mission of the Walking Tour is to raise awareness about the severity of hunger in Maine. Because many parts of Maine are rural in nature, many people have to travel great distances to receive food assistance. In a number of instances, these people lack the transportation necessary to receive that assistance and are forced to walk miles to the nearest food bank or pantry. The Walk, in part, symbolizes the struggle that many Mainers go through just to get food for their families.

This year's Maine Credit Unions’ Ending Hunger Walking Tour is the thirteenth annual Walk and runs from Friday, October 24 – Wednesday, December 3, 2014. The Walk will visit every county in Maine, encompass 750-800 miles on foot (nearly 1,800 combined by car and foot), 84 communities and 92 credit union locations, both new records.

Representatives from credit unions, food pantries, local Rotary chapters, colleges and the general public are expected to walk with Davis in each community.

The Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger will make contributions to help end hunger at every Walk stop and visit.

In 2014, the Walking Tour will also be contributing to food pantries in each community it visits. The Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger will make a $113 donation to one food pantry in each of the 84 communities that Brenda visits. In 2013, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger made contributions to 80 food pantries as part of the Tour.

Since 1990, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger has raised and distributed more than $5.3 million to help end hunger in Maine. 100% of all money raised stays in Maine and is distributed to hunger organizations.

Jon Paradise, Coordinator of the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger, with Lauren Reeves, on the Moose Morning Show