Red Foundation launched its Walk the Talk charity walk for 2023, reporting that not only has there been increased interest in the event but more people have been able to benefit from the efforts over the past three years.
For the third year, Cultural Ambassador Dr The Most Honourable Stedson Red Plastic Bag Wiltshire, along with other interested locals, will walk the length and breadth of the island on four Sundays – October 29, November 5, 12, and 19 – to raise much-needed funds to support those in need.
Members of the charity disclosed during a brief news conference at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on Friday that interest in the charity walk increases year after year, as donations from the event were used to assist a noble cause.
“It is indeed bearing fruit. For the past two walks, we have been able to increase the amount of hampers that we have been giving. When we go out and we present people with these hampers, especially around Christmas time, we can see that [the donations] are impactful in terms of the response that we get from the people,”
Wiltshire said. “There are several people out there who struggle around Christmas time especially, so we are happy to be able to help.”
The goal this year is to provide more than 300 Christmas hampers.
Wiltshire said the event also serves an additional purpose, as it helps participants’ physical and mental fitness.
“People are excited, always excited about walking across Barbados. You are recognising that people are into fitness and I think it’s very important that we have a healthy nation. Walking helps; it also helps your mental health as well [and] I think it’s very important that we consider the fact that when you are walking with people and you’re talking to people you are getting out and about, and it helps with social cohesion.
“We need to pay a lot more attention to the mental health and mental state of our country,” he said.
T-shirts for the walk will go on sale in the car park of CBC from next Wednesday, October 25. (SB)
