The Oasis Social Ministry hopes to raise $30,000 during its 14th annual Walk for Hunger fundraiser on April 30.

It’s an ambitious goal, one that would more than double the $12,000 generated by last year’s walk, according to Burgess Hodges, resource and development planner at Oasis.

The ministry has been helping feed the needy in Portsmouth, North Suffolk and western Chesapeake for 46 years.

“Last year, we had the highest turnout (for the walk) we’d ever had … but raised less money than in recent years,” Hodges said. “We are hoping to make up for that this year.”

With the exception of last year, walkers and corporate supporters usually raise between $18,000 and $20,000 annually, he said. This year, the Obici Healthcare Foundation donated $500 to become a corporate sponsor.

Despite last year’s declining contributions, the community’s needs continue to mount, Hodges said.

Oasis assisted 11,000 people through its food pantry in 2015, Hodges said. That’s up 27 percent from 2014. Between the food pantry and the soup kitchen it operates for breakfast and lunch four days a week, Oasis provided 207,000 meals in 2015, he said.

“The rate of food insecurity around here is huge,” Hodges said. “For as many people as we serve, there are probably twice as many that we don’t serve.”

The USDA defines food insecurity as having limited or inadequate access to food supplies.

Food deserts are a major problem in Portsmouth, which has prompted Oasis to begin delivering groceries monthly to the roughly 100 senior citizens in the program, Hodges said.

It is a challenge to make fresh, healthy foods readily available to people on tight budgets or who have to travel a significant distance to reach grocery stores, he added.

While the three-mile Walk for Hunger is a fundraiser, it’s also an important way to raise awareness that hunger is an ongoing community issue, Hodges said. Even if they don’t raise money, walkers are invited to participate as a show of support.

The walk will begin at 9 a.m. April 30 at Oasis, 800 Williamsburg Ave., Portsmouth, with the route going through downtown and Olde Towne. A Portsmouth Fire Department brigade has volunteered to cook lunch for walkers, Hodges said.

Between individuals and participating church congregations, Hodges expects about 300 people this year. Walkers are asked to wear orange to show their support for Oasis.

For the first time, walkers can register and take donations online by visiting www.crowdrise.com/stompouthunger.