HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Daniel Smith is a man on a mission. He said he'd walk for 24 hours throughout Tampa as he passed out care packages to people struggling with addiction.
As he walked from sunrise to sunrise Saturday, Smith carried essential items like a toothbrush, socks, and Narcan on his back as he reminisced on the days he struggled with addiction and homelessness.
"Anything that can connect me to the guy that was sleeping behind the Walmart on Indian Town Road in Jupiter is something that I hang onto,"
Smith said he wants to bring awareness to addiction, the opioid crisis, and the suffering he still sees on the streets of Tampa Bay.
"It's difficult to look at my daughter and know that I'm not doing something active about the opioid crisis. It is so bad, and I know firsthand what kind of world she's going to grow up in. So, I have to be able to do something about it and look at her and myself in the mirror," Smith explained.
Smith told ABC Action News that around 100 Narcan sprays were donated to him, and he planned to hand them all out to help our neighbors in need.
"I will always deal with this. So getting back out here on the street, walking all these miles in the heat, seeing firsthand what people go through, it's a good reminder of where I came from and where I don't want to end up again," Smith added.
