Walking can stop hunger. Around the corner and around the world.

Maurice Bloem, executive vice president of Church World Service, is walking 100 miles to promote the organization’s annual CROP Walk, which raises funds to help the hungry locally as well as internationally.

Last weekend, his walk began at Hugh Moore Park in Easton, continued through Freemansburg and ended in Allentown.

During a stop at the Ice House in Bethlehem, he said CROP walkers plan to go a total of 795,000 miles, since there are 795 million people in the world who suffer from hunger.

He walked with his wife Liesbeth, their youngest son, Matisse, and Patrick Walker, also of Church World Service.

He was joined by part of the Bethlehem CROP Walk committee. Helen Foraste organizes the walk for her church, Central Moravian. Claire Larkin of St. Steven’s Lutheran Church helps to get sponsors. She has helped since 1984, when CROP Walks first came to Bethlehem.

Larkin said she enjoys seeing the participants, including families who bring young children and even dogs.

“It’s cool getting to see the strollers,” she said.

The walks first started after World War II, to aid people suffering hunger in Europe. Back then, CROP stood for Christian Rural Overseas Program. Now it stands for Communities Reach Out to People.

Foraste said last year participants in the Bethlehem walk raised about $27,000. Since 25 percent of funds raised stay to aleve local hunger, $6,975 stayed to help nine organizations in the Bethlehem area reaped the benefit of the walk, she said.

Foraste and Matt Piszel, leader of the Bethlehem CROP Walk, work to gather sponsors for the event.

This year’s CROP walk will take place Oct. 11, beginning with registration at 1 p.m. under the Hill-to-Hill Bridge at the Main Street curve, which can continue up Spring Street. Sign-ups are beginning, with options for teams and single walkers, and sponsors are welcome.

There are multiple choices to accommodate various abilities: a one-mile route (with wheelchair access); a three-mile route; and a six-mile route. The one-mile route runs through Sand Island and the tow path.

Piszel leads the rally speech and the Bethlehem mayor is often there. A pastor blesses the walk before start at 1:30 p.m after photos of teams.

For more information, to register or sponsor, see http://bethlehemareacropwalk.blogspot.com.