Walk & Knock on Saturday

In just a few days, one of the largest volunteer efforts in Clark County will get underway.

The Walk & Knock started in 1982, by two men who simply had a desire to help those in need, an idea about how to do it, and a serious drive to make it happen.

The effort caught on, and in 1985 42 tons of food was collected, and in 2002 a record 155 tons of food was donated. Today, an average of 132 tons if food is contributed annually.

The members of Walk & Knock, the people who help make it happen, include service clubs like the local Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary and Optimist, members of the Clark County Amateur Radio Club, and adult leaders of Boy and Girl Scouts.

Now in its 29th year, this event will take place this weekend — the first Saturday in December. One of the key elements of this effort is that it’s incredibly simple to donate. Simply fill up the bag provided in today’s Post-Record with non-perishable food items, leave it on your porch, and one of the hundreds of volunteers scouring Clark County will drop by to pick it up.

The donations will be distributed to those who need help through 15 different food banks, including our own Inter-Faith Treasure House in Washougal. For many of those food banks, Walk & Knock is the primary way their shelves get stocked each year. Without the help, many men, women and children would likely go hungry.

Walk & Knock is an amazing example of how one small idea can grow into something incredible, something that truly succeeds in directly helping those people in the community who need it the most. These people aren’t strangers, they are our friends, neighbors and family members, and they deserve our help.