72-year-old walks cross-country for faith, raises money for food pantry

HUMBOLDT, Tenn. — Over the next couple days, drivers in West Tennessee might spot a man carrying a cross on the side of the road.

Roger Gates left North Carolina in March, going for a walk across the country to send a message.

“I call it the walk of a lifetime. I’ve waited a long time for this,” Gates said.

Gates is 72 and on his second cross-country walking trip, an idea he says was given to him by God.

On Thursday, he made a quick stop to speak with WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News about his journey.

“I thought I got too old for it,” Gates said. “I thought He was going to give it to a younger guy, but here I am out here walking.”

Gates is raising money to build a food warehouse for those in need.

He says he wants to build it in his hometown of Bragg, Oklahoma, and he’s already raised a substantial amount from walking.

“It’s getting stronger as it goes. We’ve already raised $70,000 already. $27,000 has been along the road,” Gates said. “There’s men that walk up to me, big burly men walking up to me, and as they got closer to me, tears just come in their eyes.”

Gates is a Vietnam veteran, who admits he struggled with drugs and alcohol earlier in his life.

“I was smoking and drinking. I came back, and it got worse. I got married, and drinking destroyed my marriage. I got into drugs, and I wound up in prison,” Gates said.

After a six year stint, Gates refocused his life to God. He wants others to come to the same realization he did about his faith.

“When I see people like that, it touches my heart. It’s hard for me to speak because I know what they’re feeling. They found their Lord again,” he said.

This journey started in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Gates plans to end the trip in Malibu, California, where he will put the cross in the Pacific Ocean.

If you see him walking, he’s glad to talk with you. He just asks for your support.

“If you believe in what I’m doing, just give a little honk to me,” he said. “Just a little honk encourages me to keep going for his people.”

To learn more about Gates and keep up with his journey, click here.