A podiatrist who collected shoes for the homeless during the holiday season has decided to continue his collection efforts year round.
When Dr. David Hettinger began his annual collection of shoes for the homeless in late November, he was hoping to exceed the 500 pairs he collected the year before. By Jan. 10, he had more than met his goal: he collected more than 2,000 pairs of shoes and boots.
He donated the shoes to Du Page County Public Action to Deliver Shelter and to the Du Page People’s Resource Center, both in Wheaton.
The shoes filled the two storerooms in his office at 205 Rice Lake Square, and he filled his car three times as he tried to deliver all of them.
“For the first time, I got to see some of the shoes distributed,” he said.
“When I arrived at PADS, a few of the men helped me unload,” he recalled. “There was a man with a cracked pair of Reeboks who found a brand new pair of work boots. He was starting a new job the following Monday.”
Hettinger said he was so pleased with the results he will collect the shoes on a continuing basis.
“The one thing I ask is that people don’t leave the shoes outside of my business when I am closed,” he said.
