History Of The Project

I have always loved volunteering, but one night I was sitting with my mom, watching Feed the Children. I saw children right here in the United States, very close to my home, who did not have basic things they needed, and one of those things was shoes. I thought of my little brother Sergei, who lived in a Russian Orphanage, and I thought of his little feet not having shoes. I almost cried. Then I thought of children just like him, who live here in America, the land of the free, and thought "I can help."

My daddy and I came up with H.U.G.S., meaning Help Us Give Shoes. This is how our on-going shoe drive began. The thought of a little boy or girl wearing the shoes I help collect really warms my heart. I hope this project will continue until I am in college, and maybe one day my children can help collect shoes ,too!

I asked my Mission Director at church, Miss Heather, to help me start my first collection and, with the help of my friends at my church, First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, we were able to collect 670 shoes in just three weeks!!! I also had friends from all over the country donate, too! These shoes were carried to families in the Appalachian Mountians.

My goal was to collect 3000 shoes from March 2009 - March 2010... I surpassed my goal, collecting 4017 shoes in just one year! Since H.U.G.S. started in 2008, we have collected over 15,000 pairs of shoes!!!

My new goal for 2012 is to have collected a total of 20,000 pairs of shoes. I think that with your help, we can do it!!! Wanna get involved? Just click on the donate link above to learn how to get involved! Keep an eye on the meter below to track my progress!

fundraising