For
the eighth consecutive year,
while showcasing new vehicles at
the North American International
Auto Show, Toyota Motor North
America, on Saturday, January
12, 2019, stepped in to protect
Detroit area homeless and
low-income families from the
cold by donating BOGS winter
boots, guaranteed to weather
harsh conditions, and Smartwool
socks, the official sock of the
U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams,
through its “Toyota Walk In My
Boots” community outreach
project. (Toyota Photo)
Toyota
supports
the
Detroit
area by
donating
winter
boots
and
socks to
those in
need
'Toyota
Walk In
My
Boots’
Community
Outreach
Program
enriching
lives…One
Step At
A Time
in
conjunction
with the
2019
North
American
International
Auto
Show
DETROIT
- For
the
eighth
consecutive
year,
while
showcasing
new
vehicles
at the
North
American
International
Auto
Show,
Toyota
Motor
North
America,
on
Saturday,
January
12,
2019,
stepped
in to
protect
Detroit
area
homeless
and
low-income
families
from the
cold by
donating
BOGS
winter
boots,
guaranteed
to
weather
harsh
conditions,
and
Smartwool
socks,
the
official
sock of
the U.S.
Ski and
Snowboard
teams,
through
its
“Toyota
Walk In
My
Boots”
community
outreach
project.
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
received
the
donations.
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
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
vulnerable
as many
homeless
and
low-income
families
are
often
forced
to use
local
modes of
transportation
like
taking
the bus
or
walking
in harsh
elements.
“Many
people
don’t
realize
how much
a brand
new pair
of
winter
boots
can
affect
someone
in
need,”
says
Captain
Jamie
Winkler,
director
of The
Salvation
Army
Eastern
Michigan
Harbor
Light
System.
“Boots
not only
provide
warmth
and
protection
from the
elements
but, can
also
boost a
person’s
self-esteem
and
self-worth.
The
Salvation
Army is
grateful
for the
generosity
of
Toyota
Motor
North
America.
Its
donation
will
help us
continue
to
provide
shelter
to the
underserved
in
Detroit
throughout
year.”
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.
“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.”
The
timing
of the
winter
boots
and
socks
giveaway
was a
comfort
to many
as
freezing
temperatures
hit
Michigan
this
week.
Mike
Law,
general
manager,
LaFontaine
Toyota
located
in
Dearborn,
MI,
participated
in the
program
this
year as
he and
some of
the
dealership
staff
helped
the
families
try on
new
boots.
Munson
Steed,
CEO,
Steed
Media
Group,
publisher
of
Rolling
Out, and
author
of
“Little
Professor
Skye”
children’s
coloring
book
geared
toward
African
American
children,
personally
signed
his book
for all
the
children
at the
event.
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.
They
also
treated
the
families
to a
“Thanksgiving-style”
buffet
luncheon
by
Jackson’s
Five
Star
Catering.
Through
this
program,
in
Detroit
alone,
Toyota
has
donated
over
1,400
pairs of
winter
boots
and
contributed
more
than
$100,000
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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