Indianapolis Star Newspaper, March 22, 2009

Indiana youths help Samaritan's Feet sort shoes for Third World

Youths say YES to Samaritan's Feet by sorting footwear for the needy

By Bill McCleery
bill.mccleery@indystar.com

More than 200 young people from Central Indiana helped Saturday to sort new shoes donated for shipping to needy children here and overseas.

The teenagers and a few others in their early 20s gathered at a Northwestside Indianapolis warehouse provided by Pen Products to help Samaritan's Feet volunteers with the sorting.

"It's awesome that youth can make a difference in their community," said Amanda Mansard, 14, Terre Haute.

She and her brother, Grant, 16, both of whom attend South Vigo schools, helped found the Youth Embracing Service organization, which joined with Samaritan's Feet for Saturday's "shoe sort."

The Samaritan's Feet project has gained publicity through the support of numerous college basketball coaches who go barefoot during games to generate donations of new footwear from retailers and individuals. The not-for-profit organization sends the shoes to needy children.

Sorting the shoes by size and gender is one of the most time-consuming parts of preparing them for shipment, said Todd Melloh, Indianapolis, marketing director for Samaritan's Feet.

"There's over a half-million pairs of shoes in this warehouse right now," Melloh said. "This is the culmination of all the people working together to help the 3 million people around the world who don't have shoes."

Saturday's volunteers worked to arrange 35,000 pairs of shoes for shipment.

Philip Reinhardt, 22, Indianapolis, came to the sorting with several of his fellow University of Indianapolis students.

"I heard some of the Samaritan's Feet leaders talk about the impact it can make on people's lives to send these shoes out," Reinhardt said. "That kind of brought it home to me that we were doing something worthwhile."

But it was tedious work.

"After a while, you kind of got sick of seeing boxes, but it was totally worth it," he said.

Samaritan's Feet was founded in 2003 by Manny Ohonme. When he was 9 years old and living in Lagos, Nigeria, a missionary gave him a pair of athletic shoes.

Ohonme began playing basketball and eventually made his way in 1989 to the University of North Dakota on a sports scholarship. In just six years, his organization ars has collected nearly 3 million pairs of shoes for needy children in some cities in the United States and in 42 other nations.

Two Terre Haute North High School students were among Saturday's volunteers who felt good about making a difference.

"It means a lot because we're helping the community," said Devin Stallings, 16. "Everyone should reach out and try to do something."

Samantha Jordan, 15, agreed.

"It gives you a really great feeling to be able to help people, not just in the communities around you but in communities all over the world," she said. "Even if you can't visit them, at least you know you're helping them."