Walking Tour Visits Cumberland, York Counties In First Week

Friday, November 6, 2009

Brenda Davis is bathed in sunshine as she makes her way up Route 1 in York County, during the Maine CUs' Ending Hunger Walking Tour's visit the first week of November.

During the week of November 2 , the 8th annual Maine Credit Unions' Ending Hunger Walking Tour marked its first full week by making its way across Cumberland and York Counties making stops in a record 16 communities and contributing nearly $2,000 to 16 local food pantries as part of the Walk.

From southern Maine, Brenda and the Walking Tour head to the other end of the state, spending 4 days walking in Aroostook and Washington counties.  In past years, this part of the Tour has brought the harshest weather for walking but Davis said no matter what the weather, "I'm waking because hunger doesn't stop when it rains or snows.  In fact, bad weather usually makes it worse because people are cold and confined indoors with more time to think about food."

During the Walk, Brenda Davis, Executive Director of Cross Roads Ministries of Old Town, is traveling throughout the State from Madawaska to Kittery and will cover more than 1,600 miles and walk in each community she visits to bring awareness to the severity that hunger exists in Maine.  Brenda is visiting food pantries, hunger organizations and credit unions in each town she visits.  At each credit union, Brenda is picking up a contribution from the Maine Credit Unions' Campaign for Ending Hunger as a way to support her cause.  In addition, the Campaign is contributing more than $6,200 to food pantries throughout Maine. A food pantry in each community that Brenda visits will receive a $100 contribution.  
 
She began her month-long journey on Friday, October 30th, in Augusta. In all, the Maine Credit Unions' Campaign for Ending Hunger has pledged to contribute more than $22,500 to help end hunger in Maine through this year's Ending Hunger Walking Tour.
 
The Walk, which is expected to encompass between 650-750 miles on foot, will conclude with a special ceremony in Bangor on Monday, November 30, 2009.  In its first seven years, Brenda has walked more than 3,000 miles to raise awareness for ending hunger and Maine's credit unions have contributed $120,000 of the $130,000 that the Tour has raised for ending hunger.
 
Since 1990, the Maine Credit Unions' Campaign for Ending Hunger has raised over $3.1 million to help end hunger in Maine.