The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will sponsor “Friends of the Poor” walks in Peoria and Urbana in the coming days to raise funds for a wide range of assistance to the needy and those living in poverty.

The Peoria walk, which is for all St. Vincent de Paul conferences in the Diocese of Peoria, will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, on the grounds of St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6001 N. University St. Walkers are invited to attend the parish’s 7:45 a.m. Mass prior to the walk.

Proceeds from the Peoria walk will be disbursed to the respective conferences based upon the preference of the walker or donor for assistance area needy with housing, food pantries, transportation, utility costs, medicine, etc.

Meanwhile, the St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Patrick Parish in Urbana will host its own walk the following Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Anita Purves Nature Center, 1505 N. Broadway. Registration begins at 9 a.m. with the walk starting at 10. The walk will take place on the boardwalk in adjacent Busey Woods and has a goal of raising $8,000 for the local St. Vincent de Paul food pantry.

HOW TO REGISTER

For either walk, participants are encouraged to make a personal donation and collect pledges from supporters. Participants may also sign up as “virtual walkers” or “prayer partners.”

Registration can be done online at fopwalk.org. Choose “Illinois” from the “Find a Local Event” menu and search for either the Peoria or Urbana walk.

Walkers and donors may also sign up on the day of the walk at either location.

For more information on the Peoria walk, contact Emiel Michelet at (309) 369-3353 or emielmichelet@hotmail.com.

For more information on the Urbana walk, contact Jim Urban at (217) 367-2665 or jim.urban@stpaturbana.org.