Friends of the Poor Walk to benefit the needy

Staff report

youngstown

St. Vincent de Paul Friends of the Poor Walk to benefit the needy in the Mahoning County area is scheduled next Saturday.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., and the walk is from 8 to 10 a.m.

The route will start at the food pantry, 317 Via Mount Carmel Blvd., proceed to the dining hall at 208 W. Front St., then return to the pantry.

This local walk is being coordinated by the Youngstown/Mahoning District Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

All proceeds will benefit the people served by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in those communities in which the monies are raised. Walkers will get pledges, or donations may be made.

Society programs include the local food pantry and the dining hall. Last year, more than 90,000 hot meals were served, and 3,000 families received food baskets.

The international society is a Catholic lay organization of more than 690,000 men and women throughout the world who voluntarily offer person-to-person aid to the poor and needy in 142 countries on six continents.

The U.S. headquarters is in St. Louis, Mo., and membership in the United States totals 146,000 people in 4,600 communities.

For more information or to register for the walk, call Bernard Willoughby, local president, at 330-565-4206, or visit www.svdpfriends-ofthepoorwalk.org.