Giving shoes to those in need: IU club urges students to donate with bare feet

Samaritan’s Feet, an international organization that puts shoes on the feet of people in need, is being localized at IU by three students who share a passion for the group’s mission.

Samaritan’s Feet provides two options for people to donate: either donate a pair of shoes or give $5 to cover the cost of one pair. Both options provide shoes to people who have never had them before.

“It’s so easy to make such a huge impact on someone’s life,” said junior Broderick Thompson,  a founder and president of Samaritan’s Feet Club.

Thompson, along with sophomore Alex Kantor and freshman Katrina Gerlach, are the founders and presidents of the new group.

“My goal is that when I graduate, everyone at IU will know what Samaritan’s Feet is,” Thompson said.

The three founders said they hope to garner additional support and participation from students at their callout meeting. Thompson was inspired to create the club a year ago, when he found out about the inspiration behind Samaritan’s Feet.

“Every January, different basketball coaches coach barefoot to promote Samaritan’s Feet,” Thompson said. “I heard about the organization from IUPUI’s coach doing this.”

Thompson started a Facebook group to spread awareness of Samaritan’s Feet at IU. Through the group, he met people who shared his appreciation for the organization, such as Gerlach, whose high school class graduated barefoot for Samaritan’s Feet last year.

“We are the only high school to ever do that,” Gerlach said. “It’s not just about raising money and shoes, it’s about raising awareness. It’s a small organization but a great one and deserves to have its name out there.”

The founders are hoping to have a benefit dinner in Dunn Meadow this spring with everyone barefoot, and they are also planning to organize a shoe drive for the beginning of next school year.

The founders encourage student participation because of the organization’s simplicity.

“Everyone at IU owns at least one pair of shoes, and for the price of a latte at Starbucks, they can make sure everyone across the world has that same privilege,” Kantor said.