Every spring, Albany UU members lace up their shoes for a tradition that has been part of our congregation’s community life for decades: the CROP Hunger Walk.
The Albany CROP Walk began in 1981 as part of a nationwide effort organized by Church World Service to raise funds for hunger and disaster relief. Twenty-five percent of the money raised in the Albany area stays right here in our community, supporting local food pantries and feeding programs. The rest supports hunger and disaster relief work around the world.
Albany UU’s connection to the walk began personally before it became a congregational tradition. Dawn and Dick Dana became involved in the early years, initially walking as a family in support of their friend Ted Lorraine, who helped lead several of the early Albany walks. Their children joined them, riding in strollers as the family made the walk.
Over time, that family tradition became part of Albany UU’s community life. By the late 1990s, Dawn and Dick were helping organize an Albany UU team. Team UU has grown and changed through the years. In some years, only about ten people have participated. In others, the team has topped 50 walkers and even ranked as the largest team in the Albany walk.
The congregation’s generosity has remained constant, even as the number of walkers has changed. In 2025, Team UU earned the Silver Sneaker award for raising the second-highest amount among participating teams. The bronze-and-silver sneaker plaques commemorate the congregation’s fundraising success, and the 2025 Silver Sneaker currently has a place of honor in the Community Hall lobby.
This year, 20 people signed up for Team UU. Fourteen ultimately made it to the walk on May 3, when St. Paul’s Episcopal Church hosted the Albany event. Together, they raised more than $6,700.
Some of Team UU’s walkers have even made the CROP Walk a family tradition of their own. In recent years, members of the congregation have also been joined by a group organized by Barb Cooley at Camphill in Chatham. Several of those walkers are in their 90s, and they hold their own shorter walk on the grounds of their community during CROP Walk weekend.
For Dawn, one of the most meaningful parts of the tradition is seeing compassion passed from one generation to the next. Families walk together, children see adults putting their values into action, and people of many ages come together around a shared purpose.
That is Interdependence in motion. The CROP Walk connects people across congregations, generations, neighborhoods, and continents. A few hours of walking in Albany become part of a much larger effort to address hunger and respond to disasters around the world.
It is also an expression of Generosity. Team UU members give their time, their energy, and their financial support, while the congregation as a whole continues to offer generous encouragement. Every donation and every mile walked adds to the collective effort.
Most of all, the CROP Walk is about Love made visible. Participants walk in solidarity with neighbors close to home and people around the world who face hunger and hardship. They walk because they believe that caring for one another should not stop at the boundaries of our own families, communities, or countries.
And then there is the simple joy of walking together.
This year’s walk had something else to celebrate: it did not rain. After several rainy CROP Walks in recent years, dry weather felt like a gift. But the real source of energy came from the walkers themselves—the conversations, camaraderie, encouragement, and shared determination to keep showing up.
As Dawn puts it, CROP Walkers put their “hearts and soles” in motion for a more just and compassionate world.
For Albany UU, that is the heart of the tradition: walking together, giving together, and teaching one another that compassion becomes more powerful when we put it into action.
