On Sunday, Oct. 10 the 35th annual Martha’s Vineyard Crop Walk takes place, part of a nationwide movement that began in 1969 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

The walks around the world and on the Island raise money to combat food insecurity and poverty. Locally, a portion of the proceeds benefits the Island Food Pantry and other efforts to relieve hunger.

Since its inception the event has raised more than $700,000 for Island organizations. This year’s goal is to bring in $40,000, one step at a time.

The walk starts at 1:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven and heads to Oak Bluffs and back. Walkers can participate in whatever amount they wish.

“We’ve adapted the walk and keep on adapting the walk so that it really fits our community now,” co-organizer Woody Bowman said. “At the same time, another area of change is the expansiveness. The need has simply grown and also deepened.”

“Six, seven, eight years ago we could say that we’re seeing the eradication of hunger. That’s no longer the case,” Mr. Bowman said, referencing the pandemic and wars around the world.

Organizations and individual can register beforehand or show up the day of the event.

“In light of the increasing number of families that have been coming out, we have more activities for children before the walk gets going with face painting and things like that,” Mr. Bowman said.

The continuing success of the annual walk stems from support and empathy from the public.

“A truly caring community likes to respond in ways that are family friendly and intergenerational,” Mr. Bowman said. “Hunger is so increasingly commonplace and children can understand hunger, adults have often experienced hunger or know people who have, so it touches a whole community.”

For more information, visit events.crophungerwalk.org/crophungerwalks/event/marthasvineyard.