First Coulee Regoin Hunger Walk set for October

The first ever Coulee Region Hunger Walk will be Oct. 13 at Myrick Park in La Crosse.

Harvey Witzenburg has served as chair on the committee organizing the event. He said they first discussed this idea last July.

“We’ve been working on this for about a year now,” Witzenburg said. “We have been planning the most effective way to involve people and provide food for families in our area.”

The event will give 35 percent of proceeds to The Hunger Task Force, 35 percent to WAFER Food Pantry, and the other 30 percent may be donated to other nonprofit food organizations.

The WAFER Food Pantry serves 1,500 families each month. Executive Director Erin Waldhart said this event is a chance for the community to step into a solution.

“I think this goes beyond our agencies themselves,” Waldhart said. “It goes to the point of educating our communities on the need that continues to persist with regards to hunger, food insecurity and poverty in our area.”

The committee said 25.2 percent of people in La Crosse County live in poverty, and almost 50 percent of students in La Crosse schools receive free or reduced lunches.

The committee is asking all participants to collect a minimum of $20 in pledges. Registration will open at noon, and the walk/run is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.