WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- If you are poor,
you are essentially an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away
from living on the streets. On Saturday, January 17, 2015, Toyota Motor
Sales, USA, through its
"Toyota Walk In My Boots" community outreach project, stepped
in to help area homeless women and children and local community
residents in need by providing new all-weather boots and socks
to the residents of The Salvation Army Turning Point Center for
Women and Children, as well as, select participants at The
Salvation Army Sherman Avenue Corps. The waterproof boots
are perfect for any season from fall to spring and are designed to
keep feet dry. Often low-income families do not have adequate
clothing to fight the elements of a cold winter. While many
programs offer winter coat giveaways, a person's feet are often
left vulnerable to cold temperatures. The project offers
comfort in a time of need as recent temperatures have fluctuated
from cold snowy days to wet rainy days. Toyota also gave a
$15,000 donation to The Salvation
Army National Capital Area Command enabling them to continue to
provide refuge for children and families in times of crisis.
The Salvation Army Turning Point Center for Women and
Children is a two-year transitional housing program that
gives 26 families – women and their children -- a safe haven to
learn how to live independently. The Salvation Army
Sherman Avenue Corps is a community center serving the most
critical needs of the surrounding neighborhood. "We are so
grateful to Toyota for both the monetary donation to the National
Capital Area Command, and the footwear donation to the Turning
Point and Sherman Avenue Corps residents specifically, which is
especially helpful during these unpredictable winter months," said
Major Lewis Reckline, area
commander, The Salvation Army National Capital Area Command.
"With the need greater than ever because of the increase in poverty
and homelessness, we are blessed to have support from good
corporate citizens like Toyota, who are 'Doing the Most Good' by
raising awareness of our mission to feed, shelter and clothe those
who are less fortunate."
An estimated 7,748 residents are homeless on any given night in
Washington, D.C., according to the
annual homeless census of 2014. More than a quarter of all
homeless people in the nation's capital are children, and half are
people in families. A number of factors are driving the
increase in D.C.'s homelessness, including a lack of affordable
housing and stagnating wages. Poverty rates remain high in
some areas where one-in-three residents lived below the poverty
line in 2014.
"At Toyota, we want to build more than just great cars and
trucks," said Michael Rouse, vice
president, Diversity, Philanthropy and Community Affairs, Toyota
Motor Sales, USA, Inc. "We
want to help build great places to live. We want the work
that is being done at The Salvation Army Turning Point and Sherman
Avenue Corps to continue for years to come. We hope also that
our donation of all-weather boots and socks will help to enrich
lives…one step at a time."
One TSA Sherman Avenue Corps participant commented that she was
excited and blessed to receive the new boots and warm socks because
she really could not afford to buy her kids boots this year.
She said it was hard enough just trying to make ends meet and pay
the household bills.
Toyota also treated residents to a buffet luncheon.
Residents expressed their gratitude to receive a "down-home"
cooked meal for their family.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM), the world's top automaker and creator of the
Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live
through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years,
we've built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14
manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than
40,000 people (more than 32,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.6 million
cars and trucks (more than 2.37 million in the U.S.) in 2014 – and
about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years
are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the
country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As
part of this commitment, we share the company's extensive know-how
garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community
organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good.
For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
About The Salvation Army Turning Point for Women and
Children
The Salvation Army Turning Point is a
two-year transitional housing program that gives 26 families a safe
haven to learn how to live independently. Case
management and counseling services help keep them on course, but
intensive classes—in budgeting, parenting, and housekeeping, as
well as building healthy relationships and preparing for jobs—help
them move ahead. Staff members work with the mothers to help
them stay in school, or employed, and to make decisions about their
future; and the mothers build a group support system as their
families move together through the program.
About The Salvation Army Sherman Avenue
Corps
The Salvation Army Sherman Avenue Corps
Community Center is a facility serving the most critical
needs of the community. The Corps served almost
3,300 free meals to people living in poverty last year. From hot,
nutritious lunches offered three times a week to food baskets and
monthly donations from the pantry, no one in the neighborhood goes
hungry. In addition to meeting physical needs, the Corps also
offers other opportunities for nourishment. Families find
fellowship in the worship services every Sunday, while kids build
friendships and life skills through youth programs and after-school
clubs. And when school is out during the summer, the Corps opens
the doors of its gym, providing a healthy alternative to everyone
in the neighborhood.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toyota-kicks-off-martin-luther-king-day-donating-boots-and-socks-to-local-area-homeless-and-families-in-need-300022085.html
SOURCE Toyota