Many people are struggling to find hot meals for their families, so it stands to reason that there are people who don't have the funds to purchase much needed shoes for themselves or their children.  With this in mind, Podiatrist Dr. Monique Mitchell has organized a shoe drive to collect new and gently used footwear for the needy.
"As a podiatrist, I notice feet, and often times as I drive around New Providence, you see a lot of young people, young children and even adults walking barefoot in the streets and in their yards.  I haven't actually stopped and asked if they had shoes and chose not to wear them, but I felt if we did a shoe drive we would be helping people who don't have proper shoes," said Dr. Mitchell.  "We would like people to donate new as well as gently used shoes -- meaning shoes you would wear yourself.  Don't just throw the rubbish or shoes you wouldn't wear yourself.  And every pair of shoe donated will go to a pair of feet that needs them."
The shoe drive commenced with foot health awareness month on May 1 and runs through Friday, July 29.  The collected shoes will be sanitized and given to the Great Commission Ministries who will distribute them to the needy.
"We're looking for all types of shoes," said Dr. Mitchell.  "School shoes for children, shoes for men and women -- all types.  With the economic recession and persons not working and things like that, most of us have shoes at home that we're not using, and someone else could use those shoes while they're in good condition. "
Shoes that are intact, with the bottom attached to the top, don't have any holes, and aren't worn down in the heel or front, and that still have laces if needed, and the Velcro is still intact are what they want.
"If you look at a shoe and you would wear that shoe then its' okay to give it to someone else to wear.  If you look at the shoe and think it has to go into the trash then that's probably not the shoe for you to give to someone else to wear."
The idea for the shoe drive came to Dr. Mitchell after speaking with Bernadette Gibson from Foot Solution who did a shoe drive for Haiti after the earthquake, and at that time received more than 100 pairs of shoes. Dr. Mitchell is looking for hundreds of shoe donations in this cause.
Shoes can be dropped off at  four locations -- Foot Solution on West Bay Street next to  Texaco, Wholistic Lifestyles on West Avenue in Palmdale, Bahamas Foot Centre on Rosetta Street and the Foot & Ankle I
nstitute on Dean's Lane above Fort Charlotte.
"I decided on Great Commission Ministry as the charity because I heard they do a lot of community service in terms of giving service to people. When the earthquake happened in Haiti, I think a lot of people were galvanized and wanted to do something, and that is the spirit we're looking for, because we must realize that a lot of our fellow Bahamians have difficult economic situations.  They may not come out and say it to you, but a lot of us are hurting, and if they can get a pair of shoes for their child who is going back to school ... or even sandals they can wear around the house, that would be a great help to them."
From a podiatrist's point of view, Dr. Mitchell says wearing proper footwear is very important to protecting the feet and making sure you don't get any injuries.

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