Manny Ohonme, founder of Samaritan's Feet, talks to volunteers at Ada Jenkins Center Saturday. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net) By DAVID BORAKS DavidsonNews.net Manny Ohonme looked out across the Ada Jenkins Center gym Saturday morning and nodded approvingly. Volunteers were washing feet and fitting new shoes on needy children in the center's second annual shoe giveaway, sponsored by Mr. Ohonme's nonprofit Samaritan's Feet. Outside hundreds waited their turn. "I was the product of someone else's generosity 30 years ago," he said. "This has inspired me." With clean feet and a new pair of socks, this boy was ready for his shoes. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net) Mr. Ohonme's encounter with a generous missionary came when he was a young man in Lagos, Nigera. In 2003, he founded Samaritan's Feet. On Saturday, the group and dozens of community volunteers were giving away 400 pairs of shoes to children from infants to 17 years old. A second giveaway was also going on Saturday, at Pressley Ridge Apartments in Charlotte. Samaritan's Feet has a goal of giving away 10 million pairs of shoes to impoverished children in the United States and abroad. As of Saturday's giveaways, Samaritan's Feet had given new shoes to 3.5 million children in 50 countries, Mr. Ohonme said. Children were asked to pre-register for Saturday's giveaway, and the response was so strong that registration reached its limit last week. Bill McCoy of Davidson helps fit shoes on a girl. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net) Volunteers from the community, local schools and churches swarmed the old gym Saturday, helping families, washing feet, and handing out shoes and socks. They included teens, college students, families, clergy, and retirees. Meanwhile, the shoes were provided through cash donations in a recent Shoes of Hope drive. "The reason we can do this is the generosity of people and volunteers," Mr. Ohonme said. A $10 donation will bring a smile to a child's face, he said. There were plenty of smiles to go around on Saturday. MORE INFO Find out more about Samaritan's Feet at SamaritansFeet.org. More information about Ada Jenkins Center is at AdaJenkins.org.
New Shoes For School, Thanks To Samaritan's Feet
