‘Trunk lady’ gives shoes off feet to stranger in need

GASTONIA, NC (WBTV) - Known to some as “God’s angel here on earth," Teresa Wingo spends her days serving those in need.

Wingo, 55 of Kings Mountain, has been giving to people since she was little. Today, it’s part of Wingo’s daily routine. Along with the gift of shoes, clothes, food, water, and hygiene items, Wingo gives the gift of love.

“I love them with everything I have,” Wingo says of the people she helps. It’s a judgement-free zone. “Everybody deserves respect," Wingo says.

“She will buy a meal with her last dollar for someone in need,” a viewer wrote to WBTV. “The homeless community knows her car like kids and an ice cream truck.”

Wingo learned about giving at a young age, calling her mother and great-grandmother her inspiration.

“I seen my mother give her shoes off her feet when I was about six years old. I watched my mother serve serve, my great grandmother – she loved on people too,” Wingo said.

Fifty years later, video captured Wingo doing a similar gesture - giving the shoes off her feet to a complete stranger.

“I was driving and I seen a woman coming down the step and she was walking, like hobbling. And I helped her get to where she was going,” Wingo said.

If you’re trying to find Wingo, she frequents the Gastonia area. You can also catch her cruising the streets in Kings Mountain, Asheville, West Virginia - even the Bahamas. “I drive around and I just look for them, under the bridges, in the alleys,” Wingo says of the people she seeks to help.

Businesses, churches and strangers donate to Wingo, who distributes those items to people trying to get back on their feet. She calls herself “the trunk lady," and says she gives to serve the Lord.

“You can look in peoples eyes and see if they’re in the need," Wingo says.

Wingo posts videos on her Facebook page, in hopes of inspiring others to give.

“I will do this until I’m in my 90s. I will never stop. Its just in me totally," Wingo says. "I just have a great passion for all people”

Copyright 2019 WBTV. All rights reserved.