Humanitarians to offer a helping foot

By Jay Hughes - SunHerald.com

Pascagoula — A humanitarian group that helped provide shoes for the needy in some Mississippi Gulf Coast communities after Hurricane Katrina is planning a return trip to help meet continuing needs in the region, according to its founder.
Manny Ohonme of Samaritan’s Feet said the organization is working with local and national groups to put together a late-summer distribution effort stretching from New Orleans to coastal Mississippi. He said the North Carolina–based charity plans to partner with local churches and the evangelical group Winning Our World International.
“A back-to-school deal is what we’re looking at,” Ohonme said. “We’ll work with some communities over there and WOW is going to help orchestrate some of that.”
After Katrina, Samaritan’s Feet leaders estimate it gave away 25,000 pair of shoes in Long Beach and Biloxi. Ohonme said it is too soon to say exactly which Mississippi communities will host distribution sites in the planned return campaign.
The second Coast trip is being made possible, in part, through Kmart’s recently announced plan to donate more than 1 million pairs of shoes to Samaritan’s Feet this year to help the humanitarian group meet its goal of distributing at least 10 million pairs worldwide over 10 years. Kmart will collect shoes at its stores nationwide for distribution in more than 20 countries.
“Kmart is dedicated to making quality shoes accessible to all children both at home and abroad, regardless of their economic situations,” Nick Grayston, the company’s footwear division president, said in a statement.
Ohonme said Kmart’s gift, which accounts for a full year’s donation needs, allows Samaritan’s Feet to concentrate on fundraising rather than “shoeraising.” He said it costs about $5 per pair to process, warehouse and ship shoes to their destinations.
At coastal distribution events this summer, Ohonme said, his group will work with WOW to offer food, activities and an evangelical message in addition to shoes.
The assistance of local churches and other compassionate organizations is key, he said, hopefully forging bonds between the needy and groups that can continue to provide additional help.
“Those are the groups in the community that are touching the folks and that know them,” he said.