The Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s sixth annual “Friends of the Poor Walk” will be held at Churchill Downs Oct. 6. Its purpose is to raise money for the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s 47 local conferences in area parishes which provide temporary emergency financial assistance to local families and individuals in need.
Walkers from Louisville, Southern Indiana and Central Kentucky are expected to take part in the event, which begins with registration at 1 p.m. The Walk will start at 2 p.m.
Each “Friends of the Poor Walk” participant may designate which parish conference will receive their pledges, and walk pledges not designated to a specific conference will be directed to the society’s downtown campus, which operates a community soup kitchen, men’s homeless shelter, women’s recovery center, local thrift stores and housing for those who were formerly homeless.
Each walker can walk up to three miles or less, at the discretion of the participant.
According to a news release from the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the agency is the “number one referral agency for Metro United Way’s 2-1-1 emergency assistance hotline.” Volunteers in St. Vincent de Paul parish conferences respond to the daily requests by providing rent, utility and food assistance to the poor and homeless, the release said.
Registration for the event is free, but pledges in any dollar amount are requested. Participants may sign up in advance by downloading forms at svdplou.org, or by signing up on the day of the walk.
For additional information, visit svdplou.org, or call Donna Young at 301-8688 or Mike Lutes at 386-3608.
