United Way in Sudbury hands out shoes to those experiencing homelessness
The United Way Centraide North East Ontario has created an initiative called Soles United that's designed to help the homeless and groups that help the homeless.
It involves giving those agencies a chance to provide new summer footwear to their clients.
Officials with United Way said Soles United is necessary to help people who need shoes during the pandemic.
"It was really important that we worked with our community organizations who were providing supports for homeless in order to provide the individuals who needed our support and then to access funds that were available throughout our community response fund in order to purchase shoes," said Mary Lou Hussak, executive director with United Way Centraid North East Ontario.
Hussak said 359 pairs of shoes have been purchased and handed out locally.
"We worked with a number of local agencies to identify individuals who needed the shoes and then we worked with them to get the shoes to them and they distributed out that way," said Hussak.
One of the agencies receiving shoes was the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth. So far, 40 pairs have been handed out to clients, and staff said many of them were thrilled to have new shoes they can call their own.
"For a lot of folks, it’s so rare in life that they get those opportunities, it’s so rare that they get something that’s just theirs," said Joel Boivin, with Sudbury Action Centre for Youth.
"(It's) something that they know is theirs, that they can take care of, that’s worth taking care of right from the start, and that really has an impact on just their day-to-day (lives)."
The United Way said it couldn’t have launched the program without help from its donors. The plan is to make Souls United an annual initiative.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.