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For San Diego teen Christian Moyer, inspiration came from an unlikely place: an SAT prep class.
“We were looking at this section about college essays,” Christian remembers. “One of the prompts was: ‘Tell us about a struggle you have had in life and how you overcame it.’ And I realized how fortunate I was not to have any struggles in life and how other people don’t have as much as I do.”
That was all it took. Inspired by “Barefoot Sunday,” an annual church event that encourages members to donate new or gently-used shoes to charity, Christian set out to start his own shoe donation program, planning to donate even more to the shelters his church helped.
In no time at all, Christian had collected 160 pairs of shoes. The shoes that were directly donated to the shelters were sold in a charity thrift store, with proceeds going back to the community.
“Most people are pretty happy to give,” Christian said. “It’s nice because it makes them realize how many shoes they have that they don’t wear, and it probably makes them feel as good as it makes me feel. I like helping other people in practical ways. When I can see a need being met immediately, that gives me joy.”
For Christian, he’s only getting started.
“My parents always taught me to do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” he says. “If I was in a hard situation, I would want someone to talk to me and help me. Everyone has needs, and some people need more than others sometimes.”
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Originally reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. Image courtesy of Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune.
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