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Toyota
helps
Detroit
area
homeless
women
and
local
families
in need
in the
midst of
COVID-19
“Walk In
My
Boots’
Community
Outreach
Program
Enriching
Lives…One
Step At
A Time
at The
Salvation
Army
Harbor
Light/Booth
Family
Shelter
DETROIT
– In the
midst of
the
COVID-19
pandemic,
Toyota
Motor
North
America
continued
its
commitment
to
support
the
local
community
for the
tenth
consecutive
year
through
its
“Walk In
My
Boots”
community
outreach
project.
On
Saturday,
January
16,
2021,
Toyota
stepped
in to
protect
Detroit
area
homeless
women
and
low-income
families
from the
cold by
donating
new
insulated
winter
boots,
guaranteed
to
weather
harsh
conditions,
and
Smartwool
socks to
more
than 100
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
Pathway
of Hope
program.
The
coronavirus
pandemic
has
affected
every
community
in
different
ways.
Homeless
people
are one
of the
most
vulnerable
populations
in the
COVID-19
pandemic.
A recent
report
published
by the
nonprofit
National
Alliance
to End
Homelessness
says
that the
homeless
population
in the
U.S.
“are
twice as
likely
to be
hospitalized,
two to
four
times as
likely
to
require
critical
care,
and two
to three
times as
likely
to die
as the
general
population”
as a
result
of the
pandemic.
The
disease
has
indeed
struck
the
homeless
living
on
streets
and in
shelters
throughout
the
U.S.,
and
cases
are
climbing
among
this
highly
at-risk
group.
“At
Toyota,
we are
more
than
just a
car
company,”
said
Alva
Adams
Mason,
senior
director,
Multicultural
Business
Alliance
and
Strategy,
and
Multicultural
Dealer
Relations,
Toyota
Motor
North
America.
“We’re
passionate
about
serving
the
communities
where we
live,
work,
and
play.
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
in these
times of
crises.
We also
want the
work
that is
being
done at
The
Salvation
Army
Harbor
Light/Booth
Family
Shelter
to
continue
for
years to
come.”
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
weekend.
“It’s
important
to
protect
one’s
feet,
especially
when
dealing
with
Michigan’s
brutal
cold
temperatures
and
wintry
weather,”
says
Jamie
Winkler,
executive
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.”
Toyota
donated
$15,000
to The
Salvation
Army
Harbor
Light/Booth
Family
Shelter
enabling
them to
continue
to
provide
refuge
for
homeless
women
and
low-income
families
in times
of
crisis.
The
families
were
also
treated
to a
catered
luncheon.
Through
this
program,
in
Detroit
alone,
Toyota
has
donated
over
1,700
pairs of
winter
boots
and
contributed
more
than
$130,000
to the
TSA
Salvation
Army
Eastern
Michigan
Division.
The
project
has also
been
held in
Chicago,
Washington
DC,
Baltimore,
and
Harrisburg,
PA.
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