A Christmas vacation to a Caribbean hot spot has led a Port Moody woman to start a group that will send thousands of donated shoes to an impoverished country.
Kelly Strongitharm took a trip late last year to the Dominican Republic, where she had the opportunity to meet Ruben, a boy whom she had sponsored through World Vision for the past seven years.
"The whole family had so much love and joy," she said. "I just felt a connection with them immediately."
Strongitharm witnessed the poverty that runs rampant on the island nation and, like many others, wanted to help but was uncertain how. A vast majority of the children were shoeless, which lead her to found Ruben's Shoes, a non-profit organization that will be sending 10,000 pairs of used shoes south by the end of October.
"I told two friends about [my idea] and it just blew up from there," she told The Tri-City News.
Collection boxes were left at numerous spots around the Lower Mainland but the highest number of donations came after Strongitharm started doing presentations in about a dozen Tri-City schools.
"It was really neat to see" the children's enthusiasm, she said. "It's teaching kids here that it's good to give and it's an easy way to participate."
Initially, the donated goods were stored in Strongitharm's garage but the effort quickly outgrew the space; now, space in a local warehouse has been donated to the charity.
The shoes will be distributed in November - shipped gratis by A&A International Freight Forwarding - and Strongitharm wants to continue the program, organizing donations for a new country each year.
For more information visit threesixtyfg.ca/rubens-shoes.
