Duluth – On Tuesday, February 19, at 10 am representatives from Udac will donate 30 pairs of shoes to the Damiano Center’s Clothes That Work Program. In December, the shoes were donated to Udac by Sam’s Club and used as unique envelopes in which invitations were sent to area businesses and community leaders to participate in Udac’s inaugural Walk-a-Mile-in-Our-Shoes Treadmill Walk-a-thon. The event raised money for Udac’s STEPS Fitness Center.

The shoes have gone the distance – both in mileage and funds raised. Corporate sponsors and walkers raised over $10,000 for STEPS and now Udac is making sure the shoes that started it all as invitations, end up on the feet of those in need. “We could think of no better place to donate the brand new shoes than the Damiano Center,” said Bobbie Lenz, Executive Director of Udac. “Our clients at Udac have daily challenges to overcome, just as the people who benefit from the Damiano Center do. Although these challenges may be different, we feel our missions closely align.”

The Damiano Center in Duluth helps meet the survival and self-management needs of all low-income and homeless individuals and families; people who often tread long, hard roads in life. Udac hopes to make that walk a little easier with the donation of the shoes.

The shoes will specifically go to Clothes that Work, one of the services offered by the Damiano Center which provides no-cost employment clothing to jobseekers and low-income workers. “Good, durable footwear is difficult to come by,” said Erik Torch, Executive Director of the Damiano Center. “Items donated are mostly second-hand, but since the shoes Udac are donating are brand new, we’ll have a lot of people coming into the center looking for them. We’d like to extend our thanks to everyone at Udac who has made this donation possible.”

Udac, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that has been providing customized services to people with disabilities and other challenges since 1969.

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