Cate Traywick
Arts & Entertainment Editor
On the morning of Shake Day, Hunger Walk chairperson Kathy Henslee said, “A little cardinal whispered to me we can make a change,” into the microphone moments before the Hunger Walk began. Then, the hundreds of supporters gathered at Angel Park on the brisk Saturday morning began to walk down University Avenue. Sewanee Greek life came in droves, with 80% participation from every Greek organization on campus. University Avenue was a sea of students and community members alike, all coming together to fight food insecurity within their counties.
On Saturday, Sept. 26, Monteagle and Sewanee locals and students alike came together to work to end hunger on the Cumberland Plateau. For the 12th year running, the Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club held the Hunger Walk, a fundraising and awareness event where participants walk 2.5 miles from Angel park in downtown Sewanee to the Sewanee Inn and back.
Greek life members signing up for the event, photo credit by Cate Traywick
The event’s goal is to end food insecurity. According to Feeding America via the Monteagle Rotary Club, 16.3% of Tennesseans live with limited or unreliable access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle. “This translates to 1,178,460 residents who lack adequate access to food.” All donations to the effort are distributed to the Community Action Committee, Grundy County Food Bank and Morton Memorial United Methodist Church Food Ministry: all organizations that prioritize ending hunger through concrete action.
Since its inception in 2015, the event has gone from a $15,000 goal to a $100,000 one, a goal that seldom isn’t met, with this year’s number reaching an impressive $95,968. These donations come from local organizations such as Morton Memorial United Methodist Church, the Community Action Committee, the Cooley’s Rift Community and hundreds of non affiliated donors that feel passionately about the cause.
Participants moments after leaving Angel Park, photo credit by Cate Traywick
A staggering $42,188 of the funds raised this year come from Sewanee Greek Life fundraising, an effort that has become a tradition as the Hunger Walk has evolved into what it has become today. Organizations share the donation link with friends, family, alumni, and donate out of their own pockets, and Greek Life’s commitment to its community shines through with their significant contribution to the cause.
Just before the walk began, Henslee said, “[I am] overwhelmed with the level of involvement from the student greek life, the Sewanee community, and it’s all coming together to fight food insecurity… There is so much good work to be done when people who are dedicated to a cause take action. The money raised through the Hunger Walk will benefit hundreds of people across Tennessee, and it will continue to do so far into the future.”