By Denise Powell, 10th Episcopal District
It was a Sunday morning in 2014, and service was underway at Mt. Calvary AME Church, when the Rev. Dr. Brenda Arnold-Scott, the pastor, observed a child crying. She approached the child and asked her what was wrong. The child told Pastor Arnold-Scott that her feet were hurting. This simple but profound observation was what soon would become Happy Feet (Back to School Project), a community outreach project based in Houston, Texas.
After the service, Pastor Arnold-Scott immediately sprang into action. She took the child, along with her siblings to Payless Shoe Source, and purchased multiple pairs of shoes for each child. The children danced and ran around the store. They were very excited to have new shoes. The experience led Pastor Arnold-Scott to consider if there were other children in the community who needed new footwear as well. She began to research the effects of poverty on families in the community and how it affected their ability to provide for their children’s basic needs.
In 2015, Happy Feet was able to present its very first back-to-school event partnering with the Mt. Calvary AME Church congregation, And God Said Ministries, the Rev. Sean Nickelberry of Wolridge AME Church, and her brothers, Willie and Michael Arnold. The ministry was also able to partner with the Payless Shoe Source where Pastor Arnold-Scott purchased the shoes in 2014. The alliance helped Happy Feet buy more shoes with its funding due to generous discounts and allowing volunteers to host events at the store. At some events, Payless would donate a bag of socks for each pair of shoes purchased. This generous gesture helped Happy Feet assist more families with much-needed items. The partnership would continue until Payless Shoe store closures in Texas in May 2019.
In its first year, Happy Feet was able to serve 30 children. The ministry has expanded tremendously since then giving away 1,000-plus pairs of new shoes and over 300 bags of socks and backpacks filled with school supplies. The project continues to grow with help from contributors and partners providing necessary support and funding. Since its inception, the ministry has received and stewarded over $40,000 in donated services and monetary gifts, ensuring each dollar will advance the project’s mission.
Happy Feet has used the project not only to give back but as an opportunity to teach life skills, and most importantly demonstrate God’s love to the community by being kind and compassionate. Happy Feet attributes its success and continued growth to God’s faithfulness, generous donors, and people with a heart for serving others. Happy Feet also offers an opportunity for Mt. Calvary to evangelize. Data collected on-site from potential beneficiaries reveals that most are either unchurched or they do not regularly attend church. Members of Mt. Calvary find this a perfect opportunity to express God’s love to the families they serve.
With God’s blessing, Happy Feet has also established Happy Feet Pop-ups, Happy Feet Easter, and Happy Feet Christmas. These additional projects provide families with shoes at those critical times of the year when children would most-likely need new footwear and other items. The ministry has expanded to include Happy Feet Critical Care, which provides specialized socks to children 0-3 years old who are under hospital care.
Ever moving forward, Happy Feet has established a new partnership with Shoe Carnival to continue its mission to provide families with brand new shoes. On Saturday, September 28, 2019, volunteers worked to provide 50 families with new shoes, bags of socks, and backpacks filled with regulation school supplies. Please visit the Facebook page for Mt. Calvary AME Church in Houston to learn more about upcoming events and to partner with the Happy Feet ministry.
Denise Powell is a freelance copy editor and an avid reader. Her other interests include plants and healthy living. She currently lives in Houston, Texas.
