If the shoe fits…sometimes

One of the more common problems facing the unsheltered community isn’t lack of shoes…it’s lack of properly fitting shoes. With the incrrase of diabetes in this demographic rising regularly, foot care and monitoring is one of the concerns dealt with by many clinicians servicing the homeless.

Got to admit, you’ve either got to be insane or love caring for people in the health field. One person I befriended had left his shoes and socks on for a month, to the point of not being able to walk. I ended up having to take them off myself while he nearly passed out on a picnic table bench my family had ate just an hour ago on.

If you’re in the giving mood, rather than purchasing a pair of shoes that might not fit, check with the outlet to see if they have store gift cards. Put the money; and amount for tax and extra laces to be on the safe side; on the card and give personally to someone you see, rather than drop in a gift box.

Trust me…it won’t go wasted if it’s a place they can get access to. If not, throw in a few bus transit tokens for good measure. You can buy yourself a pair of golf shoes for your generosity