The Taft Correctional Institution is providing 350 wheelchairs, 100 pairs of crutches, 35 walking canes and 100 walkers to victims of Hurricane Harvey with help from Walmart.
Inmates at the correctional facility get training through a program called Wheels for the World where they restore wheelchairs to like-new condition. The goal is to make something that will have a major impact in someone's life.
After the wheelchairs and other medical devices are repaired they are usually shipped to countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Jordan, Philippines, Thailand, Iraq, Zambia and the Dominican Republic. Once there, they are distributed through Joni and Friends International Ministry Outreaches and Harvest Project program.
This time however these items will be transported to Texas by Walmart to be distributed to the victims of the devastating storm.
“There’s such a great need right now to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey, and we want to do all that we can,” said Warden Craig Apker in a statement.
“Through our partnership with Joni and Friends and Wheels for the World, the inmates at our facility are restoring used wheelchairs to help victims of the devastating storm. This means a lot to the staff and inmates who work in Wheels for the World.”
