The Distribution That Almost Didn't Happen

As the truck containing a shipment of 1,100 pairs of new shoes and socks headed down the road to Tampa, Florida, something awful happened: there was a fire. But the Samaritan’s Feet team went into action making sure this intergenerational event in Florida still happened.

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The Samaritan’s Feet logistics manager first noticed the shipment to Tampa seemed to be stuck. Soon he discovered that there had been a fire on the truck and the shoes wouldn’t make it to Tampa in time for the event.

With no shoes on the move, the Samaritan’s Feet team leapt into action and began pulling new shoes from the international headquarters warehouse in order to send a new shipment.

This was going to be a special event—it was part of the One City Tampa campaign where Tampa community members join together to show compassion towards their neighbors in need. Leaders from all backgrounds were planning on serving at this event by washing the feet of around 1,000 people in Tampa, primarily those experiencing homelessness, and giving them a new pair of shoes.

The Samaritan’s Feet team worked quickly to get the new shipment together so that it would reach Tampa before the event. And they did it! The shoes arrived just in time for the event to happen in downtown Tampa. The day of the event, 82 volunteers came out to serve and give back to those in their community.

Samaritan’s Feet and its partners weren’t going to let that fire stop this event from happening because they knew the opportunities it would create: children could return to school equipped and encouraged, adults would have a burden lifted for them and their family so they can focus on other needs, and seniors could improve their mobility and quality of life. And most of all, the city of Tampa showed compassion to their neighbors in need.