Samaritan’s Feet Organizes Initiative to Benefit Thousands in Need in Honor of MLK National Day of Service

Humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Feet again partners with volunteers across the United States to serve deserving individuals with new shoes and a message of hope in honor of MLK’s legacy of service.

CHARLOTTE, NC (January 10, 2012) – Samaritan’s Feet proudly announces their second annual National Day of Service efforts to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This initiative will take place January 12 – 21 in 17 cities across the nation. Samaritan’s Feet, its corporate partners, volunteers, and community leaders will wash the feet of about 5,000 impoverished children and individuals, equip them with a new pair of shoes, and share a message of hope with them.

As Dr. King stood for more than just marches and rallies, his concept of “somebodiness,” which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation, gave the impoverished hope and a sense of dignity. His courage inspired a nation to service, which will be lived out through this National Day of Service.

To further invest in Dr. King’s vision, Samaritan’s Feet will each year focus extra efforts on cities with strong Civil Rights heritages. Atlanta, known for being home to many Civil Rights leaders, including Dr. King, will be highlighted this year with two shoe distribution events serving children in need and homeless neighbors. Samaritan’s Feet is also thrilled to serve individuals in Memphis, the city where Dr. King was slain, in partnership with the Memphis Grizzlies and other corporate partners living out MLK’s “Beloved Community” vision.

This nation-wide MLK initiative will be held with support from Martin Luther King III and Dr. Bernice King, children of the slain Civil Rights leaders. Maya Angelou serves as an honorary ambassador.

“Every MLK Holiday, I get a chance to witness the incredible spirit of servant-hood that permeates America,” said Dr. Maya Angelou. “My friend Dr. King was an incredibly passionate, humble, courageous, righteous and fair man. His efforts of creating equality are being lived out on the National Day of Service as Samaritan’s Feet volunteers from different economic, social and ethnic backgrounds wash the feet of impoverished families and give them a new pair of shoes. My spirit is full of joy as I reflect on the vision that Dr. King laid out for all who followed and served alongside him. His dreams are being fulfilled as Americans demonstrate servant-leadership by compassionately and lovingly sharing hope and love with each other by the simple act of providing a new pair of shoes.”

Former White House Director of Faith Based Initiatives Jay Hein said, “As a former government official, I have advocated for faith-based solutions to poverty. As a think tank researcher, I have studied faith-based best practices. In all of this experience, I have seen few other organizations worldwide that match Samaritan’s Feet’s model of mutual transformation for those being served as well as those doing the service.”

Many partnerships with college and NBA basketball teams, cities, corporations, fellow nonprofits and school systems will make these distribution events possible.

“We are excited to again partner with friends across the U.S. to bring encouragement through this initiative. Through the National Day of Service program, we strive to help Americans invest more in their communities by demonstrating servant-leadership through washing feet, providing for a basic need with shoes, and sharing a message of hope to those in need,” said Manny Ohonme, founder and CEO of Samaritan’s Feet.

Distributions will take place in these cities:

January 12: Indianapolis, IN
January 13: Charlotte, NC | Memphis, TN
January 14: Huntersville, NC | Concord, NC | Atlanta, GA
January 15: Sioux Falls, SD
January 16: Atlanta, GA | Springdale, AR | Fort Wayne, IN | Washington, DC | Rock Hill, SC | Birmingham, AL
January 19: Little Rock, AR
January 21: Joplin, MO | York County, SC | Indian Trail, NC

People of diverse backgrounds will join together to symbolize a unified effort by becoming the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King dreamed of by helping those in need. All will stand together to help make a difference through a simple act of service. These shoes will meet a need for children in need and serve as a reminder of the love and kindness that was shared with them on this special day.

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About Samaritan’s Feet
Samaritan’s Feet is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian aid organization that shares a message of hope and love through washing the feet of impoverished children around the world and adorning them with new shoes. There are an estimated 300 million children who go without shoes every day and more than 1 million that die each year from foot borne disease. Our goal is to provide 10 million pairs of shoes for 10 million impoverished children in the next 10 years, and since 2003 Samaritan’s Feet and its team of 70,000 ambassadors have blessed an estimated 3.5 million children in over 62 nations.

Samaritan’s Feet was started in 2003 by Manny Ohonme who received his first pair of shoes at the age of 9 from a missionary. Those shoes allowed him to learn and play the game of basketball, which ultimately earned him a scholarship to the University of North Dakota (Lake
Region). Manny went on to receive his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees and pursued a successful career in supply chain software industries. A simple pair of shoes and the kindness and compassion shared by this missionary changed the course of Manny’s life.

Samaritan’s Feet is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and has facilities in Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., San Bernardino, CA, as well as Cape Town, South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil and Peru where they coordinate the distribution of shoes on 3 continents. Find out more at www.samaritansfeet.org.