Brothers collect oodles and oodles of shoes

Brothers collect oodles and oodles of shoes

By Ashley Shah

This Thanksgiving, members of the Arendsen family in Scripps Ranch were able to donate socks, shoes and belts that they collected to the Neil Good Day Center, operated by Father Joe’s Village. 

The initial drive began around three years ago by brothers Sammy (13) who attends Marshall Middle School; and RJ (15) who attends Scripps Ranch High School. The drive has been occurring every fall since then, beginning around September and ending on Thanksgiving. 

“We had done some volunteering, but we realized that we wanted to start contributing something personal and meaningful to our community,” RJ said. “I loved sneakers. I play a lot of basketball, so I’ve collected a lot of cool shoes. However, I started to realize that we go through shoes fast, but the ones we don’t use anymore are still in good condition. A lot of my friends had the same thing going on as well. So, we thought, ‘How can we use these extra shoes to do something important?’” 

The first year, they started with fliers and word of mouth. 

“We had just told our friends and family that we wanted to collect shoes for the homeless in San Diego. It took us about two months to collect all the shoes,” RJ said.

They collected around 250 pairs of shoes the first year. 

“I remember when we brought those shoes to the center that first year. People were so in need. They were so thankful. It was a very eye opening experience,” RJ said. “We talked to some of the homeless people at the center. They told us how they needed socks, too. They also said that belts would be nice, since most of the clothes they receive are ill fitting.” 

Last year, the brothers collected about 400 pairs of shoes. They had about 100 pairs of socks, and there were bags of belts. 

“The community has been stepping up each year,” Sammy said. 

This year, they were able to collect 350 pairs of shoes, and many bags of socks and belts. 

“People reach out to us via social media with their address, and we usually go pick up the items. Some people also drop it off at our house as well,” Sammy said.

The items were taken to the Neil Good Day Center this Thanksgiving. 

“We chose to donate to the Neil Good Day Center because a lot of people in need come in and out of there, so they get access to the items from the (shoe) drive. They also have distributed some of the items to churches and other organizations that help the homeless,” mother Anne Arendsen said.

The drive will happen next year in the fall, for their fourth year in a row. 

“We’re always hoping to grow. We have been thinking about making this a nonprofit. We have been talking to our friends in other communities to see if they would like to start something similar in their community,” father Hamilton Arendsen said.

For updates about their next drive, follow @Anne Arendsen on Facebook and @anne_arendsen1 on Instagram. 

“Everyone can make a difference. Sometimes we feel helpless; we are looking for a way to help. This is a great and easy way to make an impact in the community. It has really taught the boys the importance of giving back and how that can make you feel,” Hamilton said.