Do you know a child who needs a good pair of shoes? Want to help? The non-profit Samaritan’s Feet and the Ada Jenkins Center will give away as many as 500 pairs of shoes to needy children Saturday, July 17, in Davidson.
The event has been organized by Samaritan’s Feet, a non-profit organization based in Charlotte that distributes shoes to people around the world. The group collected shoes at Davidson Farmer’s Markets last month. It also has worked with Davidson College basketball players in recent years to raise money and ship shoes to Africa.
Samaritan’s Feet says 300 million people around the world have no shoes to protect their feet from injury and disease. The organization’s goal is to provide shoes to 10 million people over the next 10 years, accompanied by a biblical message “of faith, hope, and love.”
About 75 percent of the group’s shoes go outside the U.S., while 25 percent are given out at Shoes of Hope distributions here in the U.S., according to Sara Rubens of Davidson, who is development director at Samaritan’s Feet.
This is the first time the group has held one of its “Shoes of Hope” distributions locally. At, those events, volunteers wash the feet of each recipient and put on a new pair of shoes.
“We’ll give away 500 pairs of shoes to impoverished children in the Lake Norman area,” she said. There are no restrictions on who can receive shoes. But recipients must register at the Ada Jenkins Center in advance of the July 17 event.
The center will ask the child’s name, age, shoe size and gender. Children must be at the distribution on July 17 to receive the shoes.
WANT TO GO?
The Shoes of Hope distribution is Saturday, July 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ada Jenkins Center, 212 Gamble St., Davidson. To register in advance, stop by the center or call Natisha Rivera, 704-896-0471, natisha.rivera@adajenkins.org
Web: http://www.adajenkins.org or Samaritan’s Feet.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
In addition to seeking recipients for shoes, Samaritan’s Feet and Ada Jenkins Center are recruiting volunteers to help with the distribution. To volunteer, call the center, 704-896-0471.
