This is not yet another Ice Bucket Challenge but an invitation  and a challenge to join to the 7th Annual Friends of the Poor^® Walk/Run

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) will sponsor the 7^th Annual Friends of the Poor^® Walk/Run on Sept. 20, 2014 throughout the country (the date may vary by location).

The Friends of the Poor^® Walk/Run is a unique national fundraising effort organized nationally and locally by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It allows people from all walks of life across the country to participate in a simultaneous, nationwide event to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the nation’s poor and to raise funds for use in direct service to the poor.

Funds raised are applied to a wide range of assistance to the needy and those living in poverty, including: housing assistance, disaster relief, job training and placement, food pantries and dining halls, clothing, transportation and utility costs, care for the elderly, medicine and more.

The event is held near Sept. 27, the feast day of the Society’s patron, St. Vincent de Paul, who ministered the poor in Paris in the 17^th century. The FOP Walk was created in 2008 to celebrate the 175^th anniversary of the Society. The walk in each community is organized and run by the St. Vincent de Paul Council in that area.

Last year’s Walk drew more than 21,000 walkers to over 230 sites throughout the country. More than $2.1 million was raised to help those in need nationwide. All proceeds directly benefit people in the communities where the money is raised. Walkers are encouraged to make a personal monetary donation and collect pledges from supporters.

Please check www.fopwalk.org for more information about a Walk in your area.