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Eagle Harbor joins in CROP Dance and Walk

Eagle Harbor UCC on Bainbridge Island participated in the recent Bainbridge Island North Kitsap Interfaith Council’s community efforts in a week of “Everybody Eats!”

Bainbridge Island “Everybody Eats” week collected food for Helpline House and included CROP Dance/Walk activities. Photo courtesy of Eagle Harbor UCC

From Sept. 21 to 28, events to fight hunger included an interfaith prayer,a food drives, high tea, a CROP Dance and independent CROP Walks.

The week began with “Prayers for a Hungry World” at 6 p.m., Monday, Sept. 22, at Pia the Peacekeeper, an 18-foot-tall troll made by Danish artist Thomas Dambo of recycled wood in Sakai Park.

Prayers were shared from a variety of faith communities and those who came filled a trunk with food for Helpline House, which provides a food bank and social services for Bainbridge Island residents.

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 24, for the Food Drive at T & C, volunteers received 1,064 pounds of food and paper goods, which were delivered to Helpline House.

About 45 attended High Tea for Helpline House at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 25, at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.

Chef Greg Atkinson, who prepared the food, and Helpline House executive director Maria Metzler spoke about the spirituality of providing food.  Helpline House received $2,866 in donations at the event.

At the Food Drive at Bainbridge Safeway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27, volunteers received 803.5 pounds of food, paper goods and $80 for Helpline House. Other food drives were held by faith communities and other organizations. They delivered 66 pounds of food to Helpline House. 

CROP Dance/CROP Walks were held Sunday, Sept. 28.

The CROP Hunger Dance at 1:30 p.m., at Eagle Harbor Church included circle dances for all ages, accompanied by interfaith music.

Church World Service (CWS) liaison Amir Khan and CWS board member Nobi Kanaeda joined others at the CROP Dance, which was led by the Dances of Universal Peace.

“We are unsure about the total number of participants who may have walked or danced among the 11 teams and 21 participants registered on the CWS/CROP walk website, but we think there were more than that who participated,” reported Dee Eisenhauer, pastor of Eagle Harbor UCC on Bainbridge Island.

“Regardless, the generosity of the community is apparent. To date, $24,166.84 had been donated to meet the match of $20,000 offered by an anonymous donor,” she said, adding that more donations may yet come by mail to Eagle Harbor Church. “That donor has agreed to match the full amount.

“Church World Service will return 15 percent of the funds to Helpline House and 10 percent to Fishline, which coordinates resources and offers programs in Poulsbo to help people enter a path to life self-sufficiently and reach their potential.

The CROP Walk was happening on Bainbridge Island about 30 years ago, before Dee came to Eagle Harbor 27 years ago.

“It used to be that we had 200 people from the different faith communities to participate in the CROP Walk,” she said. “About one in 10 were from Eagle Harbor.”

It fit in with Dee’s commitment since doing her first CROP Walk in 1983.

This year, three members went to the CROP Dance and two participated on their own time in doing an independent CROP Walk.

Nonetheless, Eagle Harbor was “exceedingly generous, raising $11,000, in part as way honor me as I retire,” said Dee.

This year, there were 11 teams and 21 registered on website to do a walk on their own. Last year the community had just a CROP Dance.

“We were trying to do something new to revive interest,” she said.

“I have long had an interest in helping hungry people. After I got in the habit of doing the CROP Walk, the habit has grown and strengthened,” she said. “I like the mix of the way we do it at Bainbridge Island, sharing with Poulsbo.

Of the proceeds, 75 percent goes to the work of Church World Service for disaster relief, sustainable farming and refugee resettlement. The other 25 percent goes to the communities, Bainbridge Island and Poulsbo.

Dee also likes that it brings together people of other churches and faiths. Teams are from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, Dances Universal Peace, two Episcopal churches, plus Presbyterian, United Methodist and two UCC churches (Eagle Harbor and Suquamish).

“Not having people walk all at one time. it’s not as visible as when we walk through community in public, but our visibility was high with Everybody Eats Week, which we did with two grocery stores on Bainbridge to support our food bank. We raised money and people gave lots of food in addition to what comes from CROP events.

Everybody Eats Week is branded as a project of the Interfaith Council. Dee served on the coordinating team that did the organizing.

“I support providing food for hunger in our community and far away,” Dee said. “It’s apolitical to assure those not getting enough to eat get enough to eat. It’s a great place to find common ground.”

For information, call 206-842-4657 or email dee.eisenhauer@gmail.com.

 

Pacific Northwest Conference UCC News © copyright Fall 2025

 

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