The community will come together on Sunday to walk through downtown Franklin in hopes of lessening hunger in Johnson County and around the world.
The annual Harvest Walk is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 1300 E. Adams Drive, Franklin. Registration for the event starts at 1.
Proceeds from the walk will go toward addressing hunger needs. From registration fees and sponsorships collected, 75 percent will go to the Interchurch Food Pantry, a partnership of churches from around the county that distributes food six days a week.
The pantry serves up to 100 families per day, illustrating how great a need their services are, said Dorcas Abplanalp, a member of the food pantry board.
“Every morning, except for Sundays, we have a line of people,” Abplanalp said. “It breaks my heart that they’re lining up. It’s so sad that this continues, and it doesn’t seem like we’re winning the battle.”
People who register then have the option to put the remaining 25 percent of their entrance fee toward world service organizations that fight hunger beyond the local community. That final allocation can also be donated to the Interchurch Food Pantry, Abplanalp said.
New this year is the opportunity for individuals and families to register themselves, instead of being part of a sponsored group or from a church. The entrance fee is $25 for individuals and $40 for a family, regardless of the size.
“We wanted to open this up. In the past, this was just focused on the churches to take part,” she said. “We want anyone who’s in an organization or just individuals who want to support us to be able to do that.”
T-shirts will also be available for $10.
The Harvest Walk will follow a 3-mile route along the Greenway Trail through Franklin, then along streets in the downtown area and back to Grace United Methodist Church. People will be walking rain or shine, and socialized dogs are welcome to take part as well, Abplanalp said.
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Harvest Walk
What: A 3-mile community walk through downtown Franklin to fight hunger in Johnson County and the world.
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, with registration starting at 1.
Where: Starts and finishes at Grace United Methodist Church, 1300 E. Adams St., Franklin
Registration: $25 for individuals, $40 for families
Where does the money go: 75 percent of proceeds go to the Interchurch Food Pantry, with the option to donate the remaining 25 percent to any service organization fighting hunger around the world. People may also donate that remaining 25 percent to the Interchurch Food Pantry as well.
Information: jcpantry.org/walk
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