Thank you to the hundreds of people and organizations who contributed, volunteered or donated shoes during this year’s Maundy Thursday Foot Washing. What began as a Holy Week service to the community at our Diocesan Center has spread far beyond Ocean Beach. ECS was back again this year, providing 70 pairs of shoes at their Friend to Friend location. In addition, Stand Up for Kids and Photo Charity put shoes on another 67 homeless teens and children of distressed families.
Generous donations from The Women of St. James; Good Samaritan, San Diego; Good Shepherd, Bonita; The Society of St. Paul; the Spiritual Ministry Center; St. John’s, Fallbrook; St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Lutheran Church, and individuals made it possible to serve the large and the small. There were extra shoes on hand for teens who had grown more than they realized, and cash for special orders like the man who wore a size 20 shoe.
Volunteers came from as far away as Carlsbad and Fallbrook. They helped cook and serve food, washed and cut hair, gave medical and dental exams, offered job assistance and pet care. The guests they served represented the mentally ill and homeless, working families with children, and a school teacher on disability.
After a hot meal and a haircut, one of the guests sat on the curb, holding a new pair of shoes, and said, “I feel whole again.”
355 pairs of shoes
173 meals
35 haircuts
33 medical appointments
18 veterinary visits
17 dental visits
8 job assists
6 VA service appointments
As a 2nd-generation American of Igorot-Filipino and Chinese ancestry, there are a few cultural traditions I grew up practicing that I know are unfamiliar to most American households. One of […]
When I watched a blank piece of photography paper settle into the “developer solution,” a ghost-like image started to appear, becoming more solid and complete until my friend plucked it […]
In 2007 I stood by the water towers above the remains of what had been our summer cabins. Looking down through the smoke and ash, I took a deep breath […]