WINTER HAVEN - People living in cars, skipping meals and needing clothing will soon get a little help.
The fourth annual Walk a Mile in My Shoes event will be taking place this Saturday at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Lake Silver. Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010
The fourth annual Walk a Mile in My Shoes event will be taking place this Saturday at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Lake Silver.
This worldwide event is organized by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a society of the Catholic Church.
In most places the event is held in September, but locally, organizers have chosen October for its cooler weather and the fact that more winter residents can attend.
St. Joseph and St. Matthew Catholic churches in Winter Haven are combining efforts to take on this event for the poor in Winter Haven, Wahneta, Auburndale, Eagle Lake and Eloise.
Delma Wilson, co-chairman of this year's event, said they are seeking walkers to attend the event and support the cause.
"A donation of any amount will do. The walk is 1.1 miles and they keep walking.
Usually folks pledge $1 a mile, but any amount of donation is fine," she said.
In addition to taking donations, T-shirts with the "Friends of the Poor" logo, will be sold for $5.
Wilson said the Chili's Restaurant on Cypress Gardens Boulevard is giving 10 percent of its sales for the day on Saturday, but coupons must be picked up at the walk.
Wilson said these events to raise money for the local poor are necessary.
"We have almost three fold now from when we got started," she said. "Those are the statistics coming in from national headquarters.
"We keep track of every penny we earn and every penny we spend. We document every home we go in and how many people are in that home," Wilson said. "When there are children involved, we go the extra mile; big time.
"We have a lot of new poor. I think people would be shocked, not surprised but shocked, to see how many poor we have here in Winter Haven," she said.
Wilson said 300 walkers participated in last year's Walk in My Shoes event, which raised $12,000.
That money also helped pay water bills and power bills of those in need. In addition to helping the poor with housing, clothing and living expenses, they attempt to cover extra items as well.
"The bus fares have gone up, so how are you going to go look for a job if you can‘t afford to ride the bus?" she said. "It is not just the holidays that we help the poor, we always help the poor."
Wilson said members of the local Society visit homes of those referred to them for assistance.
"We see what needs to be done. This is how we can designate what we can do for them ... and that information is kept confidential," she said.
Wilson said sometimes the poor and needy come to the Society for help, but often times they are referred to them by a school counselor or churches that have been made aware of the situation.
In addition to the St. Paul de Vincent Society which has been operating in Winter Haven for 41 years, other locals supporting the cause are the students of St. Joseph's Catholic School in Winter Haven.
Wilson is co-chairman with Dennis Otto. Deborah Battista, recreation superintendent with the city of Winter Haven has also been assisting with the event.
Wilson said, "Everything is going up and the donations are going down. I think you would be surprised who is asking us for help. And people are staying in their cars, with their children. This is catastrophic."
Sign-ups for the walk begin at 7 a.m. The walk will begin at 8 a.m. For more information about the Walk a Mile in My Shoes event or the St. Vincent de Paul Society, call Wilson at 863-514-5058.
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