CLAYTON CIGAL ,SR.
SOUTHWICK – When Clayton Cigal, Sr. was asked by his good friend, Fred Rutka, to join him on a walk back in 1988, he never dreamed that walk would become such a big part of his family’s life.
That walk was the CROP Walk, the original charitable walking event in the U.S. to end hunger. The walk is an initiative of Church World Services.
Clayton, Sr. began walking every year and organized the walk. Today, his son Clayton, Jr. does most of the organizing with help from the rest of the Cigal family. Clayton, Sr.’s wife, Ann, said the walk has grown tremendously over the last 15 years.
“I think we started out with 10 people walking an we’re up to well over 150,” said Ann. “It keeps growing.”
James Mankins, left, and Clayton Cigal Jr., background, both of Cigal Masonry, of Southwick, rebuild a set of ground-level windows at the Westfield Museum at 360 Elm Street this week as part of a renovation and restoration project. Cigal also organizes Southwick’s CROP walk. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
The CROP Walk begins and ends at the Southwick Congregational Church at the corner of College Highway and Depot Street.
“Years ago we used to walk down Depot to Sheep Pasture and up Berkshire, but then they made the rail trail and it was safer to walk on that,” Ann said.
The group now proceeds down College Highway on the sidewalk to Feeding Hills Road where they enter the trail and continue to Depot Street and back to the church.
“It’s about five miles,” said Ann, and we have always had lunch afterward.”
Some years there was pizza, and some years there were sandwiches.
“For the past few years the Rotary has come and set up their grills on the green and make a nice lunch,” Ann said. “And we have activities, too.”
Face painting, martial arts demonstrations and family fun are now a part of the CROP Walk tradition.
“It has turned into quite a nice family event,” Ann said, adding that her grandson Sam provides live music at the event.
Church World Services is passionate about ensuring sustainable access to proper, nutritious food, supporting more than 2,200 local hunger-fighting groups across the U.S.
Ann said Church World Services immediately responds to disasters around the world.
“It really is a very good organization,” she said.
This year’s CROP Walk takes place June 1. Registration begins at noon and the walk starts at 1 p.m. There is no registration fee but walk participants are asked to get walk sponsors to pledge a donation.
Ann said although Clayton, Sr., now 87, has handed the organization of the walk to his family, he remains involved in the walk and hopes the community comes together for the cause. Seventy-five percent of the CROP Walk funds raised go to Church World Services, while 25-percent is donated to the Our Community Table food pantry in Southwick.
Anyone who would like more information should contact the Cigal family at 413-569-3371.
