INDIAN LAND -- An unmarked warehouse on the edge of an industrial park seems an unlikely place to change children's lives.

But step inside Manny Ohonme's 5,000-square-foot office, and you can see how it's going to happen. Thousands of shoes are stacked high in rows of boxes, awaiting delivery to some of the world's littlest, and poorest, sets of feet.

This is the home of Samaritan's Feet, a charity that has gained international acclaim for its relief efforts in countries around the globe. The group moved last summer from Charlotte to Indian Land, just east of Fort Mill.

That could soon change. Six years after he founded Samaritan's Feet, Ohonme is gearing up for his first project in South Carolina, a back-to-school campaign that aims to deliver shoes to as many as 46,000 needy children across the state. York County will be one of the leading participants.

It's the latest frontier for an organization that has carved out a niche in the nonprofit world, thanks to a charismatic founder and a unique approach to helping the needy.

Many people might not recognize the group by name, but they might remember flipping on ESPN last year and seeing North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams coaching a game in his bare feet.

It was an idea that came from Ohonme, who convinced 1,000 high school and college coaches to ditch their loafers in a show of support for the cause.

Through his interactions with college and pro sports teams, Ohonme has gained support from surprising places.

Actor Jack Nicholson sent a dozen sneakers and some of his dress shoes after hearing about Samaritan's Feet from his beloved Los Angeles Lakers.

Musicians in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performed a concert in their bare feet. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels held a barefoot news conference.

This month, South Carolina Lt. Gov.Andre Bauer presided over the state Senate in his bare feet to promote the upcoming state project.

Focus on the feetThe less glamorous work takes place inside a warehouse off U.S. 521, where volunteers from area churches and civic groups show up at designated times to unpack shoes, remove the paper stuffing and load containers.

 Container ships and cargo planes carry the shipments to countries as far away as Malawi, Nigeria and Indonesia.

It's similar to Samaritan's Purse, the organization started by Franklin Graham that packs supplies into shoe boxes for its annual Operation Christmas Child drive. But instead of toys and toothbrushes, the focus here is on the shoes.

Ohonme estimates as many as 10,000 children die annually from diseases spread by walking barefoot in impoverished areas that lack sewage treatment and clean water.

“I told somebody, we have job security,” he said. “We'll be doing this for a while. The needs far outweigh the results.”

Maybe the most meaningful part of the ministry comes at the end. Outside schools and community gathering spots, volunteers fill up tubs of water and wash the feet of each child before giving out the shoes.

They share Christian messages aimed at conveying Ohonme's signature belief: “It's OK to dream.”

Founder is chief pitchmanWalking through the warehouse one afternoon last week, Ohonme gave off the look of a polished CEO.

 He wears a custom-made sports shirt bearing the Samaritan's Feet logo and makes frequent checks of the BlackBerry clipped to his belt. A whiteboard in his office contains scribbles of numbers and names related to upcoming projects.

The 38-year-old Nigeria native has created a brand, and he knows how to manage it. Media interviews are one way, but Ohonme also gives inspirational talks to church groups, including at Forest Hill Church in Charlotte, home to a core group of Samaritan's Feet volunteers.

“This was his vision,” said Jim Sellers, who joined the staff earlier this year. “His compelling story is the story we want people to know. When people meet Manny, they are immediately drawn to him.”

A childhood experience laid the roots. When Ohonme was 9, a “good Samaritan” making a trip to Nigeria gave him his first pair of shoes. The sneakers made it possible for him to play basketball.

 “My sanctuary became the basketball court,” Ohonme said.

A few years later, in 1989, Ohonme came to the U.S. to play at the University of North Dakota-Lake Region. He later got a master's degree in applied economics.

During his journeys to Africa to distribute shoes, Ohonme makes it a point to watch children pull out their laced treasures for the first time.

“Most of these kids don't know ‘new,'” Ohonme said. “You should see the reactions on their faces. They walk around with the expression of, ‘Oh my gosh, what is this?'”

Samaritan's Feet moved last year from a smaller warehouse in Charlotte, where Ohonme lives with his wife and four children. The organization has warehouses in Indianapolis and San Bernardino, Calif.

Big hopes for S.C.York County has taken a lead role in the upcoming South Carolina project.

 The local United Way is helping to set up distribution locations next month in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover and York, where volunteers will hand out shoes and wash the feet of children identified through school districts.

The drive comes at a critical time for parents struggling in the bad economy, said Diane Wells, community resource coordinator for United Way of York County.

“If I can get my child in new shoes, then I can use those funds to buy groceries or pay utilities,” Wells said. “A lot of our clients are going from agency to agency looking for help. That's one less worry they have.”

When he founded Samaritan's Feet in 2003, Ohonme set a goal of giving out 10 million shoes over the next 10 years. The total stands at a little more than 1 million pairs so far, but with the organization's rapid growth, Ohonme thinks he can make it.

“To us, that's not 10 million pairs of shoes,” he said. “That's 10 million lives we get a chance to impact.”

Samaritan's Feet by the numbers

3.1 billion — Number of children worldwide who can't afford shoes, according to the World Health Organization

2 million — Number of shoes Samaritan's Feet hopes to distribute this year

 Up to 46,000 — Number of South Carolina children who could get shoes in an upcoming campaign

 Want to get involved?

 Volunteers and donations of shoes and money are needed for the York County campaign, set for next month. Visit samaritansfeet.org or call the organization's hotline at 866-833-SHOE. Organizers said they need host locations where shoes can be collected in Fort Mill, Clover and York. The Rock Hill event will be at Freedom Temple Ministries in downtown.