BALTIMORE, Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As temperatures
fluctuate this winter across the country, one thing for sure is
snowy, icy and even cold rainy days are here through March and warm
winter boots and socks are still a "must have" in Baltimore.
To protect families from the cold and rain, on Saturday, February 6, 2016, Toyota Motor North
America through its "Toyota Walk In My Boots" community
outreach project held in conjunction with the Motor Trend
International Auto Show-Baltimore activities, stepped in to help
underserved and homeless families by providing new insulated
boots and socks to more than 200 participants of The Salvation Army
(TSA) Booth House Shelter, a homeless shelter for women, men
and families with children; TSA Boys and Girls Club of Franklin
Square, and TSA Baltimore Temple Corps Community
Center.
Without adequate clothing, often low-income families and people
experiencing homelessness have a much higher risk than the general
population of developing exposure-related conditions such as
hypothermia and frostbite. "With the need greater than ever because
of the often cold winter days, 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," said Major
Gene A. Hoag, area commander, The Salvation Army of Central
Maryland.
If you are poor, you are essentially an illness, an accident, or
a paycheck away from living on the streets. In Maryland in
2014, it was estimated that 7,856 people were homeless.
Nearly 35% of all homeless people in the State of Maryland are in Baltimore city alone (2,756.) Meanwhile,
nearly 24% of Baltimore's
population is living below the poverty line, which is $20,090 a year for a family of three. And,
61% of Baltimore's children are
living below the poverty line.
"At Toyota, we want to build great cars and trucks as well as
help build great communities; and in times like these, we must
remember to help one another," said Michael
Rouse, vice president, Diversity, Philanthropy and Community
Affairs, Toyota Motor North America. "We want the work that
is being done at The Salvation Army of Central Maryland to continue for years to
come. And, we hope that our donation of winter boots and
socks will help to enrich lives...one step at a time."
With this donation, many families will be shielded from an
unpredictable cold winter. Toyota also donated
$15,000 to The Salvation Army of
Central Maryland enabling them
to continue to provide refuge for children and families in times of
crisis. They also treated the families to a "Thanksgiving-style" buffet luncheon catered by
JD's Catering. Baltimore Native MESHELLE, the Indie-Mom of
Comedy, while recently releasing a new CD, entitled, "Funny As A
Mother," gave the families some encouraging words as she grew up in
Baltimore and understands the many
struggles that families are facing right now.
The Salvation Army Booth House Shelter provides residents
with emergency shelter and transitional shelter for up to 90 days
for women, men and families with 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. Meanwhile, The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of
Franklin Square, works with families, schools, and outside
agencies to provide at-risk youth, ages 6 to 18, with fun
educational, recreational, cultural, and technological experiences,
helping them to build new friendships, learn new skills, and
explore their own talents and strengths. The Salvation
Army Baltimore Temple Corps Community Center provides food and
nutrition programs, character building after school programs for
children, music and arts programs and worship services for the
local community.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM), the world's
top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mira fuel cell
vehicle, 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 30
million cars and trucks in North
America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the
U.S.) and directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000
in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in
the U.S.) sold more than 2.67 million cars and trucks (more than
2.35 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.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331356
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toyota-donates-winter-boots-and-socks-to-underserved-residents-and-homeless-families-during-baltimore-auto-show-activities-300217647.html
SOURCE Toyota