Hali Wolf always had a heart to help others.
“We are called to live beyond ourselves,” Wolf said.
Four-years ago she started the “His Little Feet” nonprofit to make sure children had shoes for school. Wolf said, “It started with four pairs of my kids’ shoes that still looked good.” She was trying to figure out what to do with them. She found out from her children’s school that there were a lot of children who don’t have shoes. In fact, she was told many children would stay home from school because they don’t have shoes.
Since then she has given away 10,000 pairs of shoes and 3,500 school uniforms.
“There are a lot of families in crisis. We are able to serve their needs,” said Wolf.
Once the shoes are donated volunteers clean them up.
Then they put a handwritten love felt note in with the shoes encouraging whoever receives them.
Last year, Emily Taylor, 19, and her four siblings all received shoes for back to school from His Little Feet ministry. Since then Taylor has volunteered to help Wolf with her cause. Taylor said, “I like that she helped us and had us to help other people in need.”
Now Wolf has set her sights on collecting shoes for Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston. In light of Hurricane Irma that hit Florida, Wolf is expanding her shoe drive to include victims there as well.
“These people have lost everything, ” Wolf said.
She has a lot of compassion for those in need and wants to do her part to make a difference. “I think about the people who will wear these shoes.”
There are two area shoes drop off locations in Seal Beach. You can drop off your new or gently used shoes at the Sun Newspapers office at 216 Main St. and the Knock Knock Toys and Gifts at 219 Main St.
“Seal Beach has rallied to bring in so many shoes to help. The people of Seal Beach are amazing,” said Wolf.
You can also drop off shoes in Long Beach at the Tenni-Moc Shoe Store at 6502 E Spring St.
If you would like to make a monetary donation you can go to the His Little Feet website at hislitfeet.org. You can also send organizers an email at hislitfeet@gmail.com. Once the shoes are collected Wolf plans to take them to Texas next month then to Florida.
You can donate shoes until Sept. 30 for the residents of Houston and surrounding areas affected by what some officials are calling the most expensive natural disaster in US history, Hurricane Harvey.
The nonprofit’s goal is to collect new girls and boys tennis shoes in size 10 toddler to size 12 adult.
“Every single shoe, we find a foot for it,” Wolf said.
Wolf says The His Little Feet motto is, “Stomping Out Poverty in our Community One Pair of Shoes at a Time.”
Follow JoAnne Powell on her online TV talk show, The JoAnne Powell Show, Wednesday afternoons at 1 p.m. at WCOBM.TV.
