‘Shoe Away Hunger’ Bus Makes Stop in Brooklyn Center
There was a long line at the Brooklyn Center Farmer’s Market last Thursday. But it wasn’t for fresh produce. This line was for shoes.
Twin Cities nonprofit Good in the ‘Hood’s “Shoe Away Hunger” bus was parked at the farmer’s market just in time for families thinking about back to school. It’s a school bus converted into a discounted shoe shop. Inside is piled top to bottom with about 1,000 pairs of new and gently used shoes.
“They can outfit their whole family with shoes for a very minimal price,” said Corey Myers, who was helping operate the bus on Thursday.
Minimal price is right: adult shoes cost $6, while kid shoes cost $3. The shoes are crowdsourced from neighbors and collected from Schuler Shoes stores.
There are more benefits than just affordability. The shoes purchased go back into Good in the Hood’s food programs. Myers said the price of an adult pair of shoes can feed one or two people a week.
“It’s just fulfilling to be a part of something where you’re helping everybody that is involved in it,” Myers said.
There’s a line out the door at the “Shoe Away Hunger” bus.
Dual Benefit
Tiffany Langer, who was in line with her four kids, has a lot of expenses ahead of the school year. Shopping on the shoe bus made it a little easier on the pocketbook.
“Every little bit helps, definitely,” Langer said. “The kiddos– most of them found different ones, and ones they were liking and hoping for! So it’s really cool.”
Her daughter, Eden, was one success story.
“My favorite color is purple,” Eden said.
Fitting because she got some purple Nike sneakers. As for helping others, her family’s all for it.
The shoe bus travels around the metro year-round. You can find where it’s headed on the Shoe Away Hunger website. Donation information is also available there.
A family looks through the 1,000 shoe options in the shoe bus.
