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Toyota
Continues
Commitment
to
Detroit
Families
Donating
Winter
Boots
and
Socks to
Homeless
and
Low-Income
Women
and
Children
DETROIT
- Even
though
the
North
American
International
Auto
Show has
moved
its
event to
June of
2020,
Toyota
Motor
North
America
continued
its
commitment
to
support
the
local
community
for the
ninth
consecutive
year
through
its
“Walk In
My
Boots”
community
outreach
project
usually
held
during
the
Detroit
Auto
Show. On
Saturday,
January
11,
2020,
Toyota
stepped
in to
protect
Detroit
area
homeless
and
low-income
families
from the
cold by
donating
new
insulated
winter
boots,
guaranteed
to
weather
harsh
conditions,
and
Smartwool
socks to
more
than 150
residents
of The
Salvation
Army
(TSA)
Detroit
Harbor
Light/Booth
Family
Shelter,
a
homeless
shelter
primarily
for
women
and
single
mothers
and
their
children,
and
local
families
from the
TSA Head
Start
program.
“At
Toyota,
we want
to build
more
than
just
great
cars and
trucks,”
said
Alva
Adams
Mason,
national
director,
Multicultural
Business
Alliance
and
Strategy;
and
Multicultural
Dealer
Relations,
Toyota
Motor
North
America.
“We
believe
furthering
the
success
of our
communities
is key
to our
success.
We want
the work
that is
being
done at
The
Salvation
Army
Harbor
Light/Booth
Family
Shelter
to
continue
for
years to
come.
And, we
hope
that our
donation
of
winter
boots
and
socks to
the
families
will
help to
enrich
their
lives…one
step at
a time.”
More
than
65,000
people
in
Michigan
experienced
homelessness
in 2018,
up about
3% from
2017
according
to an
annual
report
from the
Michigan
State
Housing
Development
Authority.
Homelessness
is
ticking
up
because
housing
prices
are
going up
faster
than
incomes,
and
affordable
housing
for the
lowest-income
people
and
families
remains
scarce.
Sixty-three
percent
of
homeless
families
in
Michigan
are led
by
single
mothers
with an
average
monthly
income
of $629.
Michigan
also has
one of
the
largest
populations
of
homeless
students
in the
U.S.
with
over
36,000
children
in
public
schools
facing
homelessness
and/or
housing
insecurity,
according
to a
recent
study by
the
University
of
Michigan.
Covering
the
basic
living
expenses
of
housing
and food
alone is
a
difficult,
if not
an
impossible,
task for
many.
Winter
is the
hardest
time of
year for
homeless
and
low-income
families.
When
temperatures
drop
below
freezing
as they
often do
in
Michigan,
people
are at
severe
risk for
hypothermia
to set
in and
consequences
can be
fatal.
While
many
programs
offer
winter
coat
giveaways,
a
person’s
feet are
often
left
exposed
as many
low-income
families
use
local
modes of
transportation
like
taking
the bus
or
walking
in harsh
elements.
The
timing
of the
winter
boots
and
socks
giveaway
was a
comfort
to many
as
freezing
rain and
cold
temperatures
hit
Michigan
this
week.
“It’s
important
to
protect
one’s
feet,
especially
when
dealing
with
Michigan’s
brutal
cold
temperatures
and
wintry
weather,”
says,
Captain
Jamie
Winkler,
director
of The
Salvation
Army
Eastern
Michigan
Harbor
Light
System.
“The
Salvation
Army is
appreciative
of
Toyota
Motor
North
America’s
Walk in
My Boots
program.
We are
blessed
to have
support
from
good
corporate
citizens
who are
‘Doing
the Most
Good’ by
raising
awareness
of our
mission
to feed,
clothe
and
shelter
those
who are
less
fortunate.”
It was a
great
morning
as
Toyota
brought
a ray of
sunshine
and
warmth
to the
families.
Toyota
also
donated
$15,000
to The
Salvation
Army
Harbor
Light/Booth
Family
Shelter
enabling
them to
continue
to
provide
refuge
for
homeless
women
and
single
mothers
and
their
children
and
families
from the
TSA Head
Start
program
in times
of
crisis.
The
families
were
treated
to a
“Thanksgiving-style”
buffet
luncheon
by
Jackson’s
Five
Star
Catering.
Meanwhile,
Munson
Steed,
CEO,
Steed
Media
Group,
publisher
of
Rolling
Out, and
creator/author
of
children’s
books
that are
culturally
relevant
to
children
of color
and
focus on
education
and
technology,
“Little
Professor
Skye’s
Sleep,
Sleep,
Dream,
Dream”
and
“Atom
Smart,”
were
personally
autographed
and
given to
the
children
at the
event
compliments
of
Toyota.
Through
this
program,
in
Detroit
alone,
Toyota
has
donated
over
1,600
pairs of
winter
boots
and
contributed
more
than
$115,000
to the
TSA
Salvation
Army
Eastern
Michigan
Division.
The
project
has also
been
held in
Chicago,
Washington
DC,
Baltimore,
and
Harrisburg,
PA.
The
Salvation
Army
Detroit
Harbor
Light/Booth
Family
Shelter
located
in
Detroit
provides
residents
with
emergency
shelter
for up
to 90
days for
single
women
and
single
mothers
and
their
children
who have
become
victims
of
unfortunate
life
circumstances
such as
house
fire,
job
loss,
foreclosure
or
domestic
violence.
Through
the
shelter
they can
receive
emergency
assistance,
case
management
and
pastoral
care and
worship
and
special
services
such as
utility
assistance,
down
payment
assistance
toward
first
month’s
rent,
food and
clothing
assistance.
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