Dr. Willie Wilson
Humanitarian Dr. Willie Wilson plans to donate $333,000 to aid various causes on Saturday, December 2nd. At Pete’s Fresh Market, 4343 S. Pulaski, starting at 10 a.m., Dr. Wilson will give $13,000 to 520 Cook County detainees, distribute $50 food coupons to 5,000 people in Cook and DuPage Counties, and provide $50 in free gas for over 1,000 motorists.
Dr. Wilson will personally visit Cook County Jail to donate $13,000 for detainees. The funds, presented to Director Ronald Howard, will be deposited as $25 on each detainee’s commissary book.
In an interview with the Chicago Crusader on Tuesday, November 28th, Dr. Wilson highlighted the biblical inspiration for his generous actions. “From a biblical viewpoint, this giveaway is special because Jesus visited people in prison and fed 5,000 people,” referring to Matthew 4:12.
Known as the “miracle of the five loaves and two fish,” the Gospel of John tells of Jesus using five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 people. Dr. Wilson emphasized, “I am just doing what Jesus has done.”
Additionally, Dr. Wilson emphasized the importance of supporting those at Cook County Jail, acknowledging both mistakes and innocence among the detainees. “Many are there because they are poor and need money for necessities,” he said. “We’ve done this twice before this year.”
Born in Gilbert, Louisiana, to a family of 11, Dr. Wilson reflected on his impoverished upbringing, stating, “Yes, we were more than poor. We were lower than poverty.”
Driven by his own background, he explained, “We worked 13 years down south without getting paid. My parents never got paid for being sharecroppers.”
Recalling hardships, he shared, “The man who owned the land kept all the money. We often had to borrow slices of bread from neighbors. We often ate bread and syrup unless we killed a rabbit or something.”
Asked about picking cotton, he humorously added, “You may call me a cotton-picking baby.”
At 13, he dropped out of school to work, picking butter beans and tomatoes for $1.10 an hour in Miami, Florida. Reflecting on past struggles, he said, “That is the motivation why I give so much because I had nothing. We came from such a poor background. I know how it feels to be poor.”
Upon arriving in Chicago, he worked at a West Side McDonald’s, eventually gaining ownership of a failing restaurant from Ray Kroc. After turning it around, he bought four more, later selling them to establish Omar Medical Supplies. Dr. Wilson, now a multi-millionaire, also hosts the ‘Singsation’ gospel show on WGN-TV.
For Saturday’s gas giveaway, commencing at 7 a.m. at participating stations, each motorist will receive $50 worth of gas; however, gas cans will not be allowed.
