Faithful set to walk the walk

Several hundred people expected for Sunday’s five-mile and two-mile strolls for hunger relief in 17th annual event. This isn’t your average Sunday walk in the park. It’s not your average benefit walk, either.

At the 17th annual Interfaith CROP Walk for hunger relief, scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, religious and spiritual discussions are encouraged.

“I’m very supportive of interfaith dialogue and understanding,” said Bob Johnston, one of the event’s coordinators. “People of different religions begin talking to each other, which is the first step in living together in harmony.”

This year, the Communities Reaching Out to People walk features four religious leaders who appear in the Daily Pilot’s In Theory feature: Ric Olsen, senior associate pastor at Harbor Trinity Church; Rabbi Mark Miller of Temple Bat Yahm; The Rev. Peter Haynes of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church; and The Rev. James Turrell, senior pastor at the Center for Spiritual Discovery.

Event organizers wanted to invite clergy to give benedictions and be available for the walk’s participants, said Johnston, a member of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Newport Beach.

The speakers will then head off with others on either a five-mile walk or a two-mile walk, which was initiated last year as an alternative. Both routes go through the Newport Back Bay and begin from St. Mark Presbyterian Church.

Representatives from at least 15 area churches, synagogues and mosques are expected to attend, said event co-organizer Rev. Dennis Short of Harbor Christian Church.

Anywhere from 200 to 300 people are planning to walk in the event, which annually raises upwards of $20,000 for hunger relief.

The Interfaith CROP Walk is one of about 2,000 events planned each year through Church World Service, an international humanitarian ministry.

There is no entry fee for the walk, but many participants choose to donate to a general fund or write checks earmarked for a particular religious denomination.

About 25% of the money raised is sent to local charities, including Friends in Service of Humanity and Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter. The other 75% goes to benefit charities across the world that are supported by Church World Service.

Across the United States, CROP walks have netted millions for charities in more than 80 countries. Food pantries and food banks are two of the main recipients. Proceeds also go toward helping villages throughout the world increase food production and cultivate clean water sources.

Johnston, his wife, Nancy, and Short have been involved in the volunteer-run event for more than a decade.

Short was previously involved in planning a similar walk in Orange.

“We used concrete streets and sidewalks for that,” he said. “It’s a much more beautiful walk here.”

Short said the event has spurred some memorable conversations, like one between him and a Muslim imam who had lived in Iraq.

Johnston said while those of different religious affiliations might disagree on some topics, they are united by the cause of fighting world hunger.

“People who show up at these events aren’t haters,” he said. “We are all here walking together toward a common human goal.”

IF YOU GO

* WHAT: 17th annual Interfaith CROP Walk for hunger relief

* WHEN: Registration begins 1 p.m. Sunday; walks begin at 1:30 p.m.

* WHERE: Begins and ends at St. Mark Presbyterian Church, 2100 Mar Vista Drive, Newport Beach

* COST: Free, donations accepted

* CONTACT: (949) 719-2605

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter. He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at elia.powers@latimes.com.