Muncie Missions Walk A Mile In My Shoes event puts the average Muncie citizen who might own a home in the perspective of those who don’t.
Early in the morning Feb. 17, Walk a Mile took place after 4 inches of snow hit Muncie the day before.
Stranded in cold weather with no vehicles to use, participants travel from Muncie Fieldhouse to Muncie Mission Ministries.
This annual event generates hope and empathy for those battling addiction, homelessness and hunger.
Vice President of Development at Muncie Mission Bob Scott mentioned cold weather and snow made the experience more beneficial. He said this is due to the fact that people without homes experience this uncertainty of weather every day.
“We’re not living homeless, but it is a brief experience to understand that a lot of folks are walking and people that are homeless often also don’t have a vehicle and so they are required to get from place to place on foot,” Scott said. “This is the time of year when some people don’t have a lot of choice. We get cold for an hour and some people feel like that’s a struggle but some people are cold for a long, long time.”
Walk a Mile raises funds for free medical care, community meals, housing necessities for Muncie Missions emergency shelter program, their long-term addictions program, transitional housing and more according to Muncie Mission President and CEO Frank Baldwin.
Baldwin said the goal was $120,000, which is the largest goal Muncie Mission has ever set for this fundraiser.
Today, they exceeded their goal, raising over $140,000.
“We're raising funds to help not only to respond to those individuals, but to provide the resources that they need to help them along the path of homelessness into a more sustainable, flourishing future,” Baldwin said.
He also commented on the significance of the event, as it brings awareness to those in the Muncie community he said are hurting.
“They don’t have a warm place to go after this walk, [but] we’re gonna go home and probably kick back and take a nap in our chairs because it’s Saturday,” Baldwin said. “There are so many in our community that will not have that opportunity.”
District 26 State Senator Scott Alexander and Delaware County Council President Jessica Piper have both regularly attended Walk a Mile.
“It puts a lot of things into perspective,” Piper said. “It's a great way to raise funds for the mission and awareness of its services.”
Alexander makes a commitment to walk a mile with Muncie Mission and brings his family with him as well. He commented on the uniqueness of having Walk a Mile during the winter and not throughout any of the warmer seasons.
“If we did this walk in July, it would be a different walk,” Alexander said. “I think I've been on a couple of colder ones than this year, but this one fell right into place; the timing was good with the weather from above.”
Piper also mentioned that she feels Delaware County is a community full of individuals willing to support and serve those in need. She said, watching the community come together to support philanthropic events like this is huge.
“Delaware County is one of the most giving communities and probably [in] the whole state to be honest,” Piper said. “It always amazes me that events like this continue to grow and you see more and more people finding a way to support these organizations.”
Like Scott, Baldwin said he appreciates the cold and snowy weather and hopes that the chilly atmosphere emphasizes the struggle Muncie community members without homes regularly experience.
“They may be staying in abandoned buildings, but there is no place to really warm up,” Baldwin said. “While we all love warm weather, I'm thankful for the cold weather because it forces us to think outside of our comfort zones as we experience it and know that there are individuals in our community who live this every day.”
Contact Zach Gonzalez with comments via email at zachary.gonzalez@bsu.edu
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